December is Arriving....

…and so is the eating and the buying and the eating and the socializing.  Did I mention the eating?

I’m just home from a  very nice get together with two long time girlfriends; this was our annual Christmas dinner.  We get together every couple of months, but always ensure we see each other for a good meal just before Christmas.  This time we agreed to abstain from buying gifts and instead just enjoy each other’s company.  We chose Moxie’s as our restaurant and the food was quite good.  I was smart and just stuck to a salad..good choice because it was quite filling!

But, oh the eating!  Today we had a pizza lunch to celebrate some team birthdays; next week will be our team Christmas luncheon and then the following week yet another big lunch for our whole centre.  Then we have the always available candies and treats, of which I am a guilty party.  So what’s my point?   We eat too much!  And then we sit at our desks and in our cars for most of the day.  Anyone see a problem with this?   I haven’t even mentioned the family get togethers over the holidays!  Even as I write this I have a container of chocolate covered almonds at the ready.   I think enough is enough and a change, for myself, needs to be implemented.

Well enough of that topic for now. Also on my list is trying to do something about my procrastination.

November is leaving us on  a wet and dreary note.  We had a brief taste of winter over the weekend, and flurries are in the forecast for tomorrow.  Although I’m not a winter person, I do like to see a good covering of the white stuff for the Christmas season..but after that…be gone!  My apologies to those who love to ski and snowmobile.  I’ll take a compromise if it could be arranged that it snows everywhere but on the roads.  Sounds reasonable, don’t you think?  Well I suppose the weather will be what it will be and we just have to adapt.

And so tomorrow is the first of December and the end of 2010 won’t be far behind.  A time for resolutions perhaps (see above re the eating),  and wondering what 2011 will bring.  I’m sure there will be more contemplation on that the closer we get to New Year’s Eve.

And on top of everything else, all the holiday activities cut into quality writing time!  And you thought I wasn’t going to even mention anything Jamie Tremain related.  Pam and I talked this morning about how difficult it seems to be of late, and how when the New Year starts we must  make a concerted effort to get into a productive routine.  So now  the implied commitment is here in writing for all to see and any motivation or encouragement from our followers would be greatly appreciated!

This has been a bit of a ramble..no apologies.  Now that my dinner has digested somewhat, I think I can say goodnight and

Cheers!

Liz

FOG VS MIST

I promised not to write about the weather again but it is impossible not to mention. The weather affects my life in so many ways. My moods, what I am going to wear and even what direction I am going for any given day. Let me explain....

Friday night and I was looking forward to an evening with my girlfriends. Changed out of work clothes and glammed up a bit. Nothing fancy. Ignoring the warning.... "It's bad out there" from the resident pessimist I drove off. I had only gone about 400 yards when I realized it was not my implanted cataracts failing me but white tendrils of thick as pea soup FOG. I am terrified of fog. I had heard the weather forcasts but was thinking maybe heavy mist, but no, this was the stuff where you can't see 10 feet in front of you and only see traffic lights when you arrive at them. I made it to my left hand turn onto the main hwy and proceeded to travel at a snails pace. Needless to say lots of cars whizzed by on either side of me.

Usually an optimist and sometimes foolhardy, I decided to head for home instead of 30minutes of nerve wracking, nail biting tension. It took another 20 minutes to find my way but was very glad to make it home. I heard later that I missed a lovely evening. How did they all make it? Must be no fog in their part of the world.

Saturday fared a little better. A planned day in Guelph revising with Liz. It started off with more fog. I dropped my husband off at the local College where he takes an Art class.He was full of dire warnings about the weather. I told you I was foolhardy. It was daylight so...... Well, it took 25 minutes to drive to the 401 hwy that usually takes ten minutes. I could not see to turn around so I decided to go on the hwy and come off at the next exit and try to head for home.

Halleluia, as I drove onto the 401 the sun broke through and no more fog. The rest of the journey was bathed in sunlight and blue skies. Not much traffic.. (they all stayed home because of the fog no doubt). I made good time and arrived at ten when I said I would.

Lovely day in Guelph and very productive. We worked steady for nearly six hours with a break for a lovely omlette lunch. We managed to revise another three chapters and were really on a roll. Cutting and adding and rearranging a few details and when we finished we were well pleased. Liz has her work cut out for her with the rewrite while I will continue with a different synopsis adding a few more details.

We have not given ourselves a deadline but if we can get together every few weeks we can make better progress.

My reading these last few weeks has been mainly magazines such as "The Writer" and "Poets and Writers" looking for contests that we could enter. Lots out there so I will follow up with those. Hope to pick up a couple of books this week. Mary Jane Maffini , a delighful and funny lady I met at Bloody Words is very prolific and has three series in print. Fiona Silk, Camilla MacPhee and Charlotte Adams. Check her website http://www.maryjanemaffini.ca/ for more details.
Another is R.J.Harlick http://www.rjharlick.ca/index.htm with her Meg Harris mysteries. R.J's latest is "Artic Blue Death" and she has a new one in the spring of 2011 called "A Green Place for Dying" Check them out.

Busy week ahead at work but plan on writing at least two or three evenings.
Weather today is typical November weather. Dreich as they say in Scotland. It says it all but as long as there is no fog I will take dreich any day.

Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

True Crime

Phew!  I’ve just finished reading “True Crime” by Andrew Klavan and I can’t remember the last time I read a book with such a mixture of dread and anticipation as the ending drew near.  As one of the reviewers stated…”a harrowing portrait of a killer’s final hours.”.   If you’re familiar with Dead Man Walking you’ll get my drift.  I don’t want to give away the ending, but if you enjoy a book that keeps you riveted this is a story for you.   At more than one point in the story I debated whether to just stop reading it because I didn’t want to face the outcome.  However my sense of “obligation” to finish reading what I started won out, and with a sense of relief I can now put it to rest! 

And now for something completely different!

Thursday marks Remembrance Day; a day which I hold in very high esteem. War is always such a huge tragedy on so many fronts (no pun intended) and affecting so many lives. We who are privileged to live in this amazing country of Canada owe a tremendous debt to those of our veterans who sacrificed so much in order for us to enjoy the freedoms we have today.  Please wear a poppy and take some time on November 11 to reflect upon the meaning of Remembrance Day.  How very different our lives might be today if the outcome of past conflicts had gone another route.

November, so far, has provided some glorious autumn days.  Rather than the gloom and dampness so typical of this time of year, one could almost  imagine its Spring on the way and not old man Winter.

Pam and I are hoping for another day of writing this coming Saturday, although she has been fighting a miserable cold this week and I’m getting over a cough.  So we’ll see.

The new addition to the household, Winston, had discovered its much easier to pee in the bathtub than head down two flights of stairs to the basement where he should be going! Hopefully once he is neutered later this month this new habit will be curtailed.  Still it could be worse I suppose, at least it’s the tub and not one of the new dining room chairs.

Well that’s about all the thoughts I have for today…so from True Crime to almost bedtime….I’ll just say

Cheers!

Liz

Halloween

Halloween

Tis that time of year once again, and while I’m not a fan of the occasion, I like seeing the small children (under the age of 10) get excited about their costumes and forthcoming treats to anticipate.  Too often though the night is used as an excuse for those with too much time on their hands to be destructive and downright mean.  This evening will find me once again behind darkened windows waiting for the event to be done.  And hoping that my vulnerable car will survive unscathed.

I was able to enjoy an unexpected sleep-over with 2 of my grandsons last night so that their parents could attend a costume party.  Before they left I was able to provide them with some early candy treats as I won’t be seeing them dressed up this evening.

Every year at work it seems that people get more and more creative with the decorating theme of Halloween; it certainly has become a huge commercial venture.  The team where Pam and I work  did a spook-tacular  job of decorating, even winning the Best Decorated department contest held on Friday.  Personally I’m much more looking forward to decorating for Christmas!

A few rebel snow flurries made their appearance this morning, and the furnace is getting more of a workout as the days grow shorter and colder.  November has never been a favourite month.  Its an in-between time,  with naked tree branches scratching against  leaden skies, and often rainy, dreary days fill in the time before a blanket of white makes things seem fresh and clean once again.

Weekend chores are done, so now I hope to turn to some more Body Perfect revising.   We revamped the opening pages of the story and will revise the opening excerpt here on the blog shortly.

I see a pot of tea and shortbread cookies have arrived – a lovely treat to enjoy on a Sunday afternoon, whether its Halloween or not.

Cheers!

Liz

Back to the First Five Pages!

I decided to skip the IFOA at Harbour Front ( International Festival of Authors)this year as Liz and I needed to concentrate on our own writing. I usually go religiously to see my favourites, i.e. Louise Penny, Giles Blunt and Peter Robinson to name but a few excellent mystery/crime writers, especially since this genre is getting more and more exposure. Maybe next year.

Instead I arrived in Guelph to spend the day with Liz. I was greeted by two enormous cats, one middle size and later by the new kitten. I am not particulary a cat lover so we said hullo and left it at that. Settling with a pot of tea we made good progress over the next six hours with just a stop for a lovely lunch.

It was like starting all over again as we were on page one and made quite a few revisions at the beginning. After a while it started to flow, taking some words out here and adding others. We managed three chapters and I left it in Liz's capable hands to do the revisions on Word. (She types faster than me). It was fun acting it out and putting yourself in the place of the characters. We will be watching for the domino effect. When we meet again in two weeks time we will accelerate the rest of the revisions and work on the ending chapter that may or may not need some changes. After that there will be a polishing read through and then we can start sending out queries.

We can't do a blog without mentioning the weather and I enjoyed the drive to Liz's home yesterday. After a frost and much rain recently all the trees are in their glory. I have a Linden tree outside my office window and it is all yellow and gold. Beautiful! I know... along with all this it is dark in the mornings and will soon be dark on the way home from work as well. Time for the fireplace and cosy undershirts.

Only nine weeks until Christmas!! Oops, sorry, we have Halloween first.

Okay, time for the fire and a read of Louise Penny's latest in the Armand Gamache series. "Bury your Dead" . http://louisepenny.blogspot.com/
I am in the home stretch and have to get back to it. Not going to tell you a thing about it but just to say it's her best yet. Go buy it!

Just read John Moss's blog, http://johnmossmysteryblog.blogspot about the Thousand Islands Writers Festival he just attended. Might check that out for next year. Read his Quinn & Morgan mystery series. R.J. Harlick was also there. I like her Meg Harris series. http://rjharlick.blogspot.com/

Talk soon,
Slainte,
Pam

October - And the Frost is on the Pumpkins

How did it get to be the middle of October already?  Is there someone I can complain to about time speeding by?

And this comes as a week off work draws to a close.  Beautiful weather for the most part, chilly and frost heavy mornings leading to pleasant afternoons.  The evenings draw dark so much earlier now and when I struggle to awake on a darkened morning I can endorse the ancestors’ view of sleeping when it is dark and working in the light!  At times that sounds mighty civilized to me.

The First draft of Body Perfect is basically done.  The last chapter has now revealed gaps  made apparent with some recent changes made along the way.  Pam and I have tentatively booked a Saturday to see how much revising Draft One will need.  I’d like to be optimistic and say none, but realistically I’m pretty sure that won’t be the case. However it will be good to start from page one and see how the story, and characters, have grown.

A new member of the family  has been welcomed into the household since I last wrote – Winston is a 10 week old rescue kitten.  Really, it was only a stop for cat food at PetSmart!

His cage labelled him as being very shy and needing time to get used to humans.  He had been there about 3 weeks along with his brother, whom he hid behind until he was adopted.  Shy he is, but he is making progress and likes to sleep next to me.  The challenge is getting him to the vet for a checkup.  Yesterday’s appointment came and went as he wouldn’t cooperate with being rounded up and put in the pet carrier.  Can’t imagine why not!  So another appointment is booked for two hours from now; needless to say the first opportunity presented to catch him will not be wasted!

And some kudos to the Brick Furniture company as well are in order.  Recently a dining set was ordered – table and 6 chairs, all needing assembly.  The chairs were fine, but when the table was unpacked a good sized gouge was discovered along the table top edge.  Dreading to make a call to complain (after recent battles with Bell Canada) I spoke to a representative.  No hesitation on replacement, and I was even told that I could go ahead and finish assembling the table and use it until the replacement arrived.  They would even deliver straight to the house; normally items are delivered to the local outlet and customers go and pick up their purchases to take home.   The replacement arrived when promised and the driver even took the time to assemble it!    I’m still waiting on a dresser to arrive, and once that’s here and set up, I intend to let the Brick know that they do have a very happy customer.  So easy to complain, and easy to not bother commenting when something does go right.

So aside from an oil change, and installation of snow tires on my vehicle, it hasn’t been a very exciting week off work.  But it has been a rest from work and that is the main purpose I suppose.  Managed to finish reading Linwood Barclay’s “Never Look Away”.  Wow…what a thriller, so many twists and turns.  I hated putting it down and stayed awake till midnight last night to finish.  Excellent story and keeps you turning the pages!

Well kitten catching time approaches, and as the sun rises higher the frost is melting away.  I’m thinking it’s time to find the ice scraper for the car before Monday arrives.

Have a great weekend.

Cheers!

Liz

My to-do list was very long and I was not sure I had the energy or the inclination to get much or any of it done. I answered a few emails, threw on some laundry and took some pork chops out of the freezer for dinner. Now I could do what I really wanted to do. Every year I attend the "Word on the Street" It takes place all across the country and every Fall I take the train to Toronto to meet up with and listen to some of my favourite Authors. It's a nice relaxing way to get some inspiration and motivation of which I am in dire need of.

I decided to go to Kitchener instead of Toronto as I don't mind driving and I like to see the colours in the country. I Googled the directions..... but I still got lost when I arrived in Kitchener.
I have not been there for 40 years or so and I forgot how large a city it is. It should have taken me an hour but it was more like 2hours and 20 mins. I did stop for lunch as I had to get directions. Then I needed gas so I asked a taxi driver where the park was and I finally made it.

It was worth the struggle to get there. GPS system is on my list for Christmas.

Victoria park is a stunning area of winding trails and small bridges over the Grand river. The tents were set up all along the river's edge and as I parked the car quite some distance to the tents I was able to enjoy the nature in the area. Small islands of trees were populated with nests of ducks , swans and of course Canada geese. Much to my suprise a Blue heron was fishing for his afternoon snack. Only the one and he did manage a large fish that soon went down the gullet.

When I made it over to the tents I was just in time to listen to the end of Louise Penny discuss her latest novel and read from it. It is called "Bury your Dead" . Set in Quebec City it still has my favourite gumshoe. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. Lovely man. I can't wait to get started on this latest from Louise.
I bought a book and stood in line for her to sign it and say a few words. We had a hug and she signed my book but by this time she was a little frazzled as the lineup was long. Just what every author wants. Lots of sales. I will let you know how this one turns out.

I would like to tell you that I made it home in a hour but...well I was cruising along nicely on the 401 hwy when I spied Guelph Line and thought I would head home that way but I seemed to be off in the wrong direction again. But I did get to see some wonderful colours in the trees and not just your usual sheep and cows but LLamas and Alpaca's and directions to a Bison farm where you could partake of a ride on one if you so choose!!! Must take a note of that for the next time I am bored.

I do have some pictures of my adventures today but as usual I will have to spend some time trying to figure out how to put them on here.

Well it has finally taken me almost as long to put these two pictures on here as it took me to drive to Kitchener. Not my forte.

I enjoyed the rest of the event and hopefully Liz and I will be there soon to sell you our wee baby.

Talk later,

Slainte,

Pam

Cooler Temperatures + Time Off = Writing Productivity

I've been enjoying a few days away from work. How nice not to have to obey the alarm clock at 4:30!  Getting up by seven instead is wonderful.

Yesterday was a typical rainy fall day.  Damp (have to admit to firing up the furnace to take the chill off!) and grey all the day long.  However for me, that’s a bonus for writing. A mug of coffee and the patter of rain outside leads to an amazing spurt of activity in writing.

Since being home, I’ve revised three whole chapters of Body Perfect and am well into Chapter 19.  It’s flowing amazingly well and I have to admit I really do like these characters and love the storyline – can’t wait to finish Draft One and then Pam and I will have a day to review it from scratch together.  We’ve learned much from our numerous drafts with Madelaine and hope that translates into a more streamlined process with Body.

But I’m not going to be able to enjoy a full day at writing today unfortunately.   Several weeks ago, during my usual highway commute, another chip occurred in my windshield which has now grown to a very long crack.  So off to the glass repair shop I go in about an hour.  My daughter in law will drive me back home and then I’ll have to get back up there before 5 this afternoon to pick it up.  And yet another claim which won’t be going through insurance.  With the amount of highway driving I do, this is becoming a too often thing and its less costly in the long run to pay for it myself.

The weekend approaches – nothing really planned so hopefully I might be able to fit in some more writing.  Perhaps even finishing off the first draft before returning to work on Monday, who knows?  If the equation fits the result will be summed up in the next blog!

Enjoy the day.

Cheers!

Liz

Summer's End

How quickly summer passed this year, but I am not sad to say goodbye to the heat and humidity which dominated July and August ; causing sleepless nights and grumpy days!

Yesterday was as if someone flipped a switch!  Friday had been another very warm day, but by Saturday morning the temperature had dipped to about 11 degrees Celsius and jackets or hoodies were the order of the day if you were outside.  And they had better have been waterproof too!   Bands of heavy showers swept through most of the day.    A planned outing to a local Fall Fair was abandoned due to the weather.

This morning I awoke, after the best night sleep in weeks, to sunshine and crisp air – my favourite type of weather!

Kids will be heading back to school on Monday and even though it has been MANY years since I have been part of that academic ritual, the start of school continues to signify a fresh beginning for me.  Not even January 1 carries the same weight in that regard.

A new (or clean and re-organzied) desk, unspoiled notebooks and a fresh assortment of writing utensils; whatever the age it can be a great motivator to work toward those goals we writers have.

Pam has enjoyed a week away from work and hopefully it has helped recharge her batteries after an extremely busy summer for her at work.   We do need to have a good day together to go over Body Perfect as its first official draft is nearing completion.  I have a few days vacation this month as well and that will be a “no excuse” time for ensuring it is complete .

Wherever you are, I hope the weather is to your liking, because I’m certainly enjoying mine. And if this is a long weekend for you – enjoy and be safe.

Cheers!

Liz

Grow old with me,the best is yet to come. quote by, Robert Browning

September is more a new beginning than the New Year or Spring to me. Out with the old and in with the new. I love the weather.. cool nights, no humidity and the colours in nature, wonderful. And of course fall fashions, fall fairs and a harvest of yummy thanksgiving veggies.

It is also the start of the yearly book launches. Those who were fortunate enough to publish their books go on tour to sell and promote. I would like to say Liz and I are amongst them but alas we have been stagnant this past six months and on a bit of a hiatus.

Trying to keep cool on my vacation this week during the "extreme heat alert" these past few days was hard but I managed that by hanging out at the local shopping mall to drool over the fall outfits . I was supposed to be buying clothes for Riley, my 15 year old grandson and I did manage to fill his quota from a list of must haves. We cleaned out a closet of clothes that no longer fitted and I can believe it as he is now 6ft 2inches. Must be in our water! Is that the reason why I have put on weight??.... better stop drinking our water!I think I shrunk but went outwards!

I have kept up with the blogs I follow of different Canadian authors and if they are going on tour with a new book it is well deserved. The amount of work they put into their craft is essential. To be prolific in this field is not something that just happens, you have to work at it.

So where does that leave Jamie Tremain?

The hot weather is almost behind us... Liz is now settled in her new place... I have gone through a period of adjustment with Riley and we have settled down. I am moving my office to have some peace and quiet with no distractions so I won't have an excuse for not churning out the next Canadian masterpiece.
I will get together with Liz soon to play catch up and finalize Body Perfect before sending out our query letters.

I have a good feeling about 2011 so wish us well.

Talk soon,

Slainte,
Pam

Canadian wimps!

If Liz and I had any followers of this blog then they must be long gone. I would like to say that we have been busy writing , revising and getting our books published but I would be telling a huge fib.
To tell you the truth neither Liz nor I can take the warm weather and it leaves both of us drained. Liz is having a harder time than I as she has no air conditioning. Now those of you that live in countries where air conditioning is not the norm must be laughing at the wimps here in Canada. But the humid index today was at 40 degrees and I just ran from my office through the underground parking and the first thing I did was turn on the air. It takes a couple of minutes to reach me and ...bliss. Without it, it feels like sitting in a tin can or an oven. Arriving at home about 30 minutes later, nicely cooled, no sweat, I darted from the car into my airconditioned house. No oven for dinner. that is why we barbecue so much here.

Enough about the weather. It appears to be a Canadian pastime, predicting the weather that is. I think the weather reporters should stop telling us how hot it is and then we would not notice. Maybe.

I have finished reading all the books and more that I brought back from the Bloody Words conference. Nearly all Canadian authors and each book quite different apart from the fact they all had dead bodies in them. I made notes on most of them to learn a few secrets on pacing and decription. Watching dialogue and plotting. A problem I have is how to end a story and they were as varied as having a good beginning to keep the reader interested.

All is not lost as Liz and I still meet for a confab at lunch time (in our air-conditioned cafeteria) where we discuss the merits of books we have read and where we will take ours to...Just as soon as our mushy brains cool down and we can think again.

Talk soon,

Slainte,
Pam