Right about now I am kind of regretting my promise of “warts and all” because I have had a serious failure alongside a huge success. To be fair I have to report on both of them, and I am really going to hate telling you about the failure.
Let’s start with the in-between, shall we? Over the pandemic shutdown I found it increasingly difficult to be creative. We’ve talked about that several times in the last year, and many of us have acknowledged the struggles we’ve had.
One of the things I found was that while I had trouble inventing worlds and creating characters I nevertheless wanted to be making something. Occasionally that took the form of cooking and baking, but our health issues mean I have to limit carbs and salt, so I couldn’t join in the sourdough explosion.
I love homemade bread, but health issues mean we try to limit our intake, and when the smell of freshly-baked bread fills the house I am helpless!
One of my other choices, as I have shared in the past, is knitting. Working with fibers and needles allowed me to continue making. Even when I couldn’t invent, I could innovate and experiment. I could alter an existing pattern, or try a new project, or learn a different way of doing something I already knew. I could also pick up a very small project and complete it, which helped boost my spirits.I even managed to pick up a couple half-completed pieces and finish them, which provided a lot of satisfaction. Several friends have received afghans and scarves and socks in the last few months as I tackled my yarn stash.
A few weeks ago I saw a mention of bead-knitted bracelets and figuring they were small, compact, quick projects - perfect for the Short-Attention-Span Theater that seemed to be my life - I went hunting for patterns. The results are in the photos. The pattern says all they need is a clasp, but I need to experiment, so these will get some embellishment as soon as I settle on exactly what I want to do.
Top: Tiny needles and tiny beads. It's delicate work, but something I enjoy.
Bottom: An array of color combinations. I love being able to spread out a selection of thread and beads and mix and match until I find a combination that speaks to me.
A close up of one completed bracelet. I will decorate this one, I'm just not sure yet what I want to add.
So that’s a small step in the right direction. A place in between success and failure.
The good news, the piece I am absolutely delighted to share, is that just last week I finished writing a new book! Writing fiction seemed an impossible task over the last year-plus, and I was beginning to lose faith that I would ever return to fiction. I love coming to this feed and talking to you, I delight in hearing feedback, and I am eternally grateful to those of you who have been with me over this year. This space allowed me to work out my own questions by talking with you about the issues, achievements, and pitfalls, and I often find that I achieve new insights in the process.
The book is in the hands of my incredible first-reader/copyeditor, and it should be released later this year. Believe me, you’ll hear about it when that happens! And in an additional bit of good news I have heard from my other first-reader that it kept them up past their bedtime - so I am going to call that a win!
The new book will be #5 in this series. Still debating a title. Since it involves a scandal, a hidden family, and a will, there are several possibilities. What will Murder do this time?
You’re all waiting for the bad, aren’t you? You’re sitting there muttering “Get on with it already!” Okay. I honestly don’t want to do this, but Steve tells me a promise (“warts and all”) is a promise, and I need to talk about this.
Here goes.
I have taken on a consulting gig for the old day job.
I know. I KNOW! I said I would go back and re-read what I’d written if I was ever tempted to do any of this again. In fact, I did re-read what I wrote. And I stand behind every word; which is why I refused to take a position within my old department, and why this is a specific, task-oriented project.
I have talked several times about making sure you are financially ready to retire. I was, and am. I don’t need the money in any immediate sense. One reason I agreed to this is that they have kept me as an active employee so I could answer questions for an hour or a day, and they could run it through payroll - easier for them and for me. The other advantage is that it allows me to put my income directly into my retirement account. While I don’t need the money now, when I do need it, a year or five from now, it will be there. But money wasn’t a real incentive.
This is what greeted me when I walked in. Plus a box of chocolates. When the Board of Directors sends you flowers, you know you're needed!
Mostly I am doing this because they asked for my help. They have a couple specific projects that I can quickly complete, freeing up their current staff to keep the day-to-day operations running smoothly and on time; and I don’t have to bother myself with the daily operations.
I have a very nice office in the newly-remodeled area (There are pictures in the column You Can’t Go Home Again; they gave me the private office with the ocean view.) I have one of the best restaurants in town just a few feet down the hall, and the full support of the management and directors, as well as any help I need with clerical and research tasks.
It’s good to see old friends, and to visit for a little while, but while I am claiming my new title is Bad Penny, I know I am only there until I finish up these projects - and I think I already solved one of them on my third day back. The others won’t be cleared quite that quickly, but I have hopes for a speedy resolution. I’ll keep you posted.
Besides, I can’t spend too much time on their projects - I have another book to write!
The shower board is getting updated with notes for book #6, and I am really anxious to get it started, though I should get #5 out the door first!