I’ve not been in hiding, just busy doing other things. I’m working on a cozy mystery with humor. I write a monthly post (usually submitted late) for the Blood-Red Pencil blog. I do social media tasks for the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America (RMMWA). I’ve been reading a lot (also known as lallygagging).

You know. The usual.

First, I want to catch up my list/links to my Blood-Red Pencil posts:

April, 2021 — Poetry is Just Not My Thing

May, 2021 — Here a Book, There a Book

June, 2021 — Why Do Some Readers Avoid Self-Published Books?

July, 2021 — Do I Need to Understand Tropes to Write a Cozy Mystery?

Secondly, one of the best books I’ve read so far this year is Pamela Nowak’s Never Let Go.

Never Let Go is a historical novel of the finest kind: based on a true story, beautifully researched, and fictionalized with dialogue and detail that seamlessly works the facts and fiction together. The hard life of pioneers drawn to Minnesota turns into a nightmare when Santee Sioux (Dakota) attack the whites during the 1862 Dakota Conflict. Five women are taken hostage. Never Let Go takes us from the women’s pre-Minnesota history through the attacks and life as hostages. Highly recommended.

Finally, the writing.

I’m writing a cozy mystery tentatively called A Bad Week in Wampo. Once I start revising and nail the timeline down, I might have to call it A Bad Week and a Half in Wampo. Of course, that won’t work, so once again I’ll be rewriting to make the days come out right. Or change the title. That might be easier.

This is the natural consequence of writing without an outline or even a vague plan. Called “writing by the seat of my pants” or being a “pantser,” I find it the most fun way to write. It also causes me to spend more time rewriting, deleting, revising, self-editing, and weeping.

This story is lighter than my previous novels. I don’t know if I can pull off the humor through a whole novel, but I’m giving it my best shot.