Patricia Stoltey

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Where Does the Time Go?

July 17, 2021 By: Patricia

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.

More from my site

  • Colorado Author — Paula ReedColorado Author — Paula Reed
  • Amazon Author InsightsAmazon Author Insights
  • Oliver the Ornery OpossumOliver the Ornery Opossum
  • Blogs About Books and Bookish ThingsBlogs About Books and Bookish Things
  • The Four P’s for Attending a Writers’ Conference by Kerrie Flanagan, Guest BloggerThe Four P’s for Attending a Writers’ Conference by Kerrie Flanagan, Guest Blogger
  • A Bit of Truth from Og MandinoA Bit of Truth from Og Mandino

Category: Blood-Red Pencil blog, Books and Authors, The Writing Life

Comments

  1. Madeline mora-summonte says

    July 19, 2021 at 8:30 am

    I can’t believe the year is half over already! And I have accomplished . . . very little. Sigh. I’m even behind in my Goodreads Challenge and that is a rare occurrence, believe me.

    Good luck with the new book!

    • Patricia says

      July 19, 2021 at 10:13 am

      Thanks, Madeline! I’m way behind in reading as well. I keep taking books out of the library, renewing them if I can, and sometimes returning them unread. I need to ease up on the checkouts or read faster.

  2. L. Diane Wolfe says

    July 19, 2021 at 6:03 am

    Nice to hear from you. Not sure where the time has gone. This year is half over already.

    That’s wonderful you are working on a new book.

    • Patricia says

      July 19, 2021 at 7:53 am

      I can never stay away from the computer too long, Diane. The voices (of my characters) become too loud.

  3. Alex J. Cavanaugh says

    July 18, 2021 at 6:19 pm

    Go for the humor!
    I’m only posting once a month this summer and taking a break otherwise. Sometimes we need that.

    • Patricia says

      July 19, 2021 at 7:55 am

      I still feel as though I’m in a time warp, but at least I’m having fun in here. Have a relaxing summer, Alex.

Meet Patricia

I read, I write, I blog, and sometimes I do the laundry and cook. My 2014 novel, Dead Wrong, was a finalist in the thriller category of the 2015 Colorado Book Awards. Wishing Caswell Dead (Five Star/Cengage, December 20, 2017) is a historical mystery set in 1830s Illinois in the fictitious Village of Sangamon. The novel was a finalist for the 2018 Colorado Book Awards for General Fiction. Read More…

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