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.