When the Going Gets Cold ....

The Arctic Vortex is moving down from the north while a snow storm is approaching from the south, taking away any desire I might have left to go outside. As far as I'm concerned, thirty-five below C with frostbite warnings is good enough reason to stay inside with a good book and a cup of tea. (As if I really needed one.)

I settled into a writing rhythm this week, meeting my tail 500-word daily quota for this last Anna Sweet novella. At this rate, I'll be done the first draft by the end of January. Probably sooner as I usually pick up speed toward the end of a book. I worked on a main idea booklet for this same publisher, Grass Roots Press, last year and my copies arrived in the mail this week. It turned into a nice little workbook for ESL students.

It was also my Monday to post on 7 Criminal Minds blogspot. This week's question concerns how to stay focused on writing, especially over the holiday season. You can read my tips - which struck me as ones that can be generalized for other goals - and those of my fellow crime writer bloggers on this link .

Left Coast Crime in Vancouver is now less than ten weeks away and an email arrived with author opportunities. I signed up for a speed-dating morning, which had Ted wondering, but it's actually an event where two authors move from table to table giving two-minute pitches for our books to readers. The goal is to build up interest in readers who might never have heard of us, not to get a date to the prom.

So, following my own advice for getting that next manuscript written, I'm getting this day underway with another cup of coffee, a few miles on my stationary bike and then time at the computer. Stay warm this weekend my fellow Canucks.