Monday, January 29, 2018

Back and Raring to Go



In case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve been absent for a while. I’ll make a long story short.

My dog, Murphy, had to have surgery on his knee. There were complications, mostly from the medications he was on.

In the meantime we sold our two-story house and bought a one-story house. That meant packing, moving and unpacking. There were a few complications there, too.

It seemed like everything dragged on and on and on. Thankfully, we had a great Realtor who made things a little easier for us. (Thanks, Todd!)

Just to add to the issues, my daughter caught that nasty virus that’s going around, and I caught it from her. My heart goes out to those who are going through the illness.

During this time I did no writing and no reading. By evening I was tired and my eyes wouldn’t focus on book pages.

I had a dozen chapters done on my Work in Progress (WIP) and had to set it aside a few months ago. Now I’m back and I’ve picked up where I left off, and I’m having a great time.

Before the dog and house situation, I picked up a book of old newspaper headlines which were actually the first page of news. None of the headlines inspired me, but one story at the bottom of the page caught my eye and I read an account from many years ago, or at least part of it. It was continued on another page, and this book was only headline pages.

Anyway, there was a story about a man who was murdered in his home. When the police entered the residence, his brother (whom they believed to be the killer) had mysteriously disappeared. I didn’t do further research on the story. I didn’t want to know if the brother was the killer or how he disappeared. The general information from this article inspired “Gin Mill Grill,” my WIP.

As I sometimes do, I’ve created an old crime that has to be solved today. I kind of like Sandi Webster not having to walk in on a current crime and a, um, fresh corpse. Although, along those lines there are a few surprises in this story.

Just to add to the excitement, an artist, Dori Pendergrass, has already painted the new book cover. I’ll share it in the not too distant future. I’m totally taken with the cover, and the original painting will be proudly displayed on the wall in my office.

I live in Washington state, where it rains frequently. I’ve been so wrapped up in the new story that I haven’t really noticed the dark and dreary skies or the rain-soaked surroundings, except when I go outside. I glance skyward and think, Really? It’s cold and raining? When did that start?

Many of you know how it goes, but I’m still unpacking and setting up the house. Where do I hang this? Where do I place that? What can I give up without having fits? Two-story to one-story really puts a crimp in what there’s room to display and that includes both furniture and decor. Looks like there might be a yard sale come spring.

So, I’m back and happy to be here.

I don’t know that I’ll keep up with a blog-a-week, like I’ve done in the past, but I’ll do my best. In the meantime I want to get back to the book I was reading when this all started. I’ve missed my reading time as much as I’ve missed my writing time.

Have you ever noticed how things seem to happen in rapid succession? You take care of one issue and another pops up? Hopefully, things will turn around now.

Until next week, if you’re moving, my heart goes out to you. If your beloved pet is having surgery or any other issue, my heart goes out to you. If you’ve got the flu or the latest virus, get in to see the doctor quickly. I hope that from now on, things go smoothly for all of us.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website (In dire need of updating)
CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

COMING SOON, or as soon as possible, Gin Mill Grill – A Sandi Webster Mystery. In the meantime you might want to keep up with her in Entrance to Nowhere – A Sandi Webster Mystery.

12 comments:

  1. Welcome back, Marja! I've missed your posts.
    I'm thrilled to read that you're writing another Sandi Webster mystery - one of my favorite series.
    To hope that, from now on, things go smoothly for all of us is nice but it's probably wishful thinking. How about we hope that all our problems are small ones? :)

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    1. Thank you, Pat! It's nice to be back. For me, small problems generally means that things are running smoothly. Can't say the same for Sandi Webster. : )

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  2. Marja, I'm so glad you're back. Would you believe that just this morning as I was making the bed, I thought about your blog and wondered if I'd somehow removed myself from your mailing list. I'm glad to see that I didn't!

    I'm sorry you and your daughter and your dog have been under the weather, but I hope you're all well on the way to being healed and healthy again. Best of luck with your new home and all the extra things that go along with a move!

    And, btw, rapid succession of "things" has been the story of my life for almost two years now. I know exactly how you feel.

    Welcome back!

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    1. Thank you, Amy! I hope your rapid succession of things turns into a slow dribble. It feels good to be back and maybe I can start catching up on what everyone is up to now.

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  3. Hi, Marja,
    Glad things are settling down finally. Moving is traumatic. So is an animal that's had surgery and being ill. Good to know you're back working on your current ms.

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    1. Thank you, Marilyn! Maybe now I can order your latest for some fun reading.

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  4. It's great to have you back, Marja. I was wondering what had happened to your blog. Evidently, life just got in the way. I kept going back to it, in case I missed one of your posts. I'm glad I didn't.

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    1. Thank you, Evelyn! That does my heart good. It's good to know a few people kept coming back.

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  5. Good to see you back online, Marja. Thanks for sharing your "busy" story with us and a glimpse of what's coming in your WIP. Have a healthy rest of the year, and enjoy your new home.

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    1. Thank you, Eileen! I know plenty of people have been busier than me, but life just got in the way. Sometimes there's nothing we can do but take a step back. I wish you a healthy and fulfilling rest of the years, too.

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  6. Great to hear you are back and writing

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    1. Thank you, Lesley. I need to look for your latest and enjoy some reading time. : )

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