Monday, March 11, 2019

Please Join Me


What if we were sitting around my kitchen table, talking about writing? What would you want to discuss? Can I get you a cup of coffee or tea? I’ve got cookies, too, but then I always have goodies in the cupboard.

I’d be talking about working on my new book cover. Much improved, but still in the works. I strive for perfection, but I can’t quite get there from here.

When you finish your current story, what will you write about next? I have no idea what I’m going to do. I have a book that shows the front page (only) of the Los Angeles Times from 1881 to 1987. I’ve been looking at those pages, hoping something will inspire an idea. Nothing yet. It’s interesting because many times they write about a crime, but you only get part of the story since it’s only the front page. “Continued on Page…” So many of the stories are still a mystery when I put the book down. I think I have another book that focuses on the 1940s, but I haven’t looked at that yet.

I’ve often talked about how things were simpler in years gone by, but while reading the headlines, I’ve changed my mind. Yes, a lot of things were simpler, but crime wasn’t. Some of the stories I’ve read were horrendous. I’m almost glad I didn’t have a Page 14 to find out what happened in the end.

Daylight Savings Time started on March 10th. I wonder if I could come up with an idea having to do with the time change. Sometimes things we take for granted are actually things we can use for a story. Did you know that in Arizona the time never changes? I liked that better than where I’m at now, which is Washington State. Yes, the time changes here.

We’ve all had some weather that was out of the ordinary this year. Maybe that will inspire a story for you. It rains way too often here, but the rain can actually be rather calming.

Have you worked on your genealogy? That task can provide some surprises, and often real life surprises will inspire a story.

Have another cookie. More tea? Coffee?

 Old Farmhouse Kitchen

I’ve always felt the kitchen is the nucleus of the house. I love the old farmhouses where the family gathered around the table in the kitchen. A formal dining room is just… Well, too formal for my taste. I enjoy a casual atmosphere. What about you? I’ve always had a dream of living in an old farmhouse, but it’s never come to pass.

I can remember so many stories that were shared over the kitchen table. Confessions, secrets, humor and heartbreak were all shared there, too. Maybe it’s more comforting to sit in the kitchen.

Back to one of my first questions; have you decided on the subject matter for your new story yet? I guess I’d better finish editing and publishing my most recent book before I worry about that.

Discussing writing and everything that goes with it can be addictive. I had no idea until I talked about writing so much that my husband’s eyes used to glaze over. Who knew?

Oh, you want to discuss marketing and promoting? I think we’ll have to leave that for our next visit. You’re welcome anytime, you know.

Drop in again. I look forward to visiting.

Until next time, enjoy some time at your table with good friends. Talk about anything that tickles your fancy, but don’t use silly phrases like I just did.

CLICK HERE to visit Marja McGraw’s website
CLICK HERE for a quick trip to Amazon.com

COMING SOON: People Lookin’ Half Dead – A Sandi Webster Mystery

Think heatwave and missing homeless people. Just a clue about the story.


12 comments:

  1. Sit around the kitchen table talking about writing? Sounds good to me. :)
    I'm looking forward to your new book!

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    1. Thank you, Pat! We may not have been around a table, but we've had some pretty good talks. Thank you for stopping in today!

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  2. I'd love to sit at your table, munching on cookies and talking about writing. I don't have a farmhouse, but nothing is formal in my home. Speaking of writing, I'd better get to my jewel heist story before the day's gone.

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    1. You're welcome any time, Maggie. What can be more fun than talking about writing with other authors? Thank you so much for stopping in!

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  3. The first five years of my life were spent in an Oklahoma farmhouse. I don't want to replicate that experience again. LOL But yes, it would be a good background for a story. My next story will be Pam's Epilogue to my Human Zoo trilogy. Since it will take place in a ritzy senior citizen home, we could have a great discussion about all the shenanigans that seniors do. (I live in such an establishment except it's not ritzy but the seniors are as nutty as anyone else.)

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    1. Your epilogue will be high on my reading list, Pat. Seniors often make excellent characters. It should be a fun story. Thank you so much for stopping in!

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  4. Thanks for inviting us in, Marja! I hope you're enjoying the work you're doing on your cover. It's a different kind of creativity. I think weather is an important part of many books. There's something fascinating about the subject--I often thought I should have been born in England, where the topic is almost an art. Looking forward to your next book!

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    1. The weather can be so unpredictable, Amy. It's amazing when you drive down a street and it's pouring rain, and two blocks later the road is dry and the sun is out. It can almost be a character in a book. Maybe you should take an extended trip to England? It might be fun. :) Thank you so much for stopping in!

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  5. Speaking of the weather, which is what we've had plenty of here in southern California since I returned. I'm working on a book about the horrors of surviving Hurricane Harvey. Maybe next I'll write about the California fires and floods from the recent rains, with a few minor earthquakes thrown in. I seem to be a magnet for catastrophes, which do make good subjects for not only books but kitchen conversations.

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    1. You've had more than your share of disasters, Jean, and I'm glad you can think of them as fodder for your books. Good attitude. I hope this is the last of the catastrophes. Thank you so much for stopping in!

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  6. When I was growing up, we discussed everything at the kitchen table. It was "the" place to be. The living room was used only for watching television. There's just something about a kitchen that makes people want to gather there, or maybe it was because my mom always had a pot of coffee brewing, LOL! I'd love to sit around a kitchen table and discuss writing with you. Too bad you can't be a member of my writer's group.

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    1. That would be fun, Evelyn, but I live too far away. LOL Your kitchen sounds similar to ours when I was growing up. Somehow that room made things more personal. Thank you so much for stopping in!

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