My Dance Card is Full

Squeezing in a blog some days can be like trying to get into last year's bathing suit - it's a bit of a struggle to fit in. Today is one of those days.

When you work fulltime, the weekends are precious. I still wake up early on a Saturday morning and think about all the things I want (and need) to do - grocery shopping, errands I've put off, laundry, library, cooking, visiting, coffee-drinking on the front deck, dinner-hosting,exercising and oh yes . . . writing. Today, I've completed the shopping and am half-way through the laundry - still a ways to go before I can flop down somewhere and enjoy the lightness of being lazy.

So if you recall last week, I was hitting despair level with my latest manuscript. I'd gone over it so many times, I couldn't decide if it was better to cut my losses or keep on heading to the grand finale. Sylvia McConnell, acquisitions editor for Dundurn and previous RendezVous Crime publisher, kindly agreed to read the first 25 pages. Her feedback arrived near the end of the week. It contained the word 'gripping' and an urging to continue. It was all I needed to get back on track.

I've decided to put the self-doubt aside and finish this puppy. I'm at 82,000 words and plotting the end with renewed vim. (BTW: There really is such a word as vim - means vitality and enthusiasm) I'm starting to like the story again . . . I wonder how many other authors go through this angst - maybe it's part of the creative process?

I had a bit of fun letting people know that In Winter's Grip is eligible for this year's Readers' Choice selection for the Giller book prize and I know many have voted for it. I thank each and every one of you who took the time. It was really nice to feel so supported. We still haven't broken into the weekly top ten, but no matter. Word has spread about the book and new readers are buying it. One person even got an independent bookstore to order in copies. You guys are the best.

I saw a rough draft of Patrick Walton's video of the Collected Works signing and he's going to have it ready by Monday so I'll send around the link as we'll post it on Youtube. I should probably add a dancing baby or someone falling off a bike down a set of stairs wearing a clown suit, but we'll leave that for another time.