And what's next?

In two weeks, we leave for a car trip through Canada, already looking forward to summer, blue skies, and driving through the wilds from Banff to Vancouver, where we'll stay a month in an apartment with a nook for writing.

My laptop is ready, but I am not. Doctor appointments and news a dear friend has died, as other dear friends stuggle with Covid mean I'm looking forward to a respite, a time of healing.

I haven't been writing.

Or I write a little one day and nothing the next.

This morning, I gave myself a shake and settled down to make that pros/cons list for I have two projects simmering away. 1) to finish Scattered Stones, the fourth and final book in my historical fiction series that's percolating away with notes and edits from beta readers, hopefully close to completion, and 2) to start on that next new and shiny story: The Last Sarcophagus, a mystery set in Egypt.

And then I noticed a new review from MAR, an anonymous reviewer on Amazon. She reviewed four of my books in under a month -- and gave extraordinarily helpful feedback on story strategy, character development, and (aargh!) typos! On all four books! I can't even say thank you because I don't know who she is!

Thank you, MAR, wherever you are, for helping me see what's next. I'll finish Scattered Stones and then dig right into those changes you suggest. I'm packing my notes, laptop, and we're ready.

May your own summer bring you flowers, moments of peace and celebration, and if you write, may you discover many good words.

Lilacs in Manito Park (June 2022)