Musings & more….
I came up to the office today after two whole days off and found that my chocolate orchid [Oncidium Sharry Baby] had bloomed.
And, yes, it smells like chocolate!! It couldn’t have timed out more perfectly, because today I’m digging back into Dowser 4.
Oracle 1 update – I See Me is with Leiah, the proof reader. I’m still hoping to have the ebook version published by the end of the week, but it’s getting a little tight and I don’t want to put it up if it isn’t as perfect as I can make it.
I have been exceedingly blessed in the last few years by lovely readers who have become supportive friends, some of whom I haven’t even met in person yet. I’ve talked about Gertie and her cupcake support committee here, here, and here (one for each Dowser book). I also still have Karen’s trinket hanging on my monitor where I get to see it every morning.
And then there is lovely Kelly. She sent this:
<3 I’ve made a screensaver out of the above image <3
I knew a treat was coming, because Kelly and I had been trying to meet for a hot chocolate last month – yes, we know each other in real life, however our paths do not naturally cross 🙁 But life was insanely busy with moving and family. Kelly finally convinced me that she should just mail the package to me as a house warming gift.
This is what was so brilliantly packaged inside – yes, brand new chocolate!!!
Five freaking kilograms of Ocoa by Cacao Barry to be exact!! That’s 11.02 pounds for my American friends. I, of course, immediately opened, poured, and tasted 🙂
This huge box of “support” will get me through writing a couple of more Dowser books, at the very least. I’m thinking of making brownies, cupcakes, and perhaps some Chewy Gooey Chocolate Cookies with it.
In fact, I’m designing up some new cupcakes for Dowser 4 and I’m seriously thinking of using this chocolate to make them, then sending tasters to Kelly for her approval. That won’t even dent this box of goodness – yes, I’m greedy and selfishly-bent when it comes to good chocolate.
Thank you Kelly, for all your support and the chocolate. It is – you are – very appreciated and cherished!
I’m about to send The Oracle #1 off to the editor – yay – and dig back into writing Dowser #4. Yes, I have titles for both of those books and I will release them soon as well.
During the next couple of weeks as I write Dowser #4 I’m going to be doing some fun things that I thought you might like to know about and/or participate in.
Starting Wednesday, I’m reading through the first three Dowser books. I’ll download them on my iPad, sit down, and actually read them as if I was … well, a reader. I’ll share my favourite quotes and thoughts about certain sections as I read. Perhaps you will have questions yourself? Or favourite quotes to share?
I’ll start a new post here on the blog and a new thread on my Facebook page for each book as I read.
I’m expecting to start Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic on Wednesday. The ebook is perma-free everywhere if you haven’t grabbed it yet (links on the book page). I’m a fast reader, so I expect to have it done in a day, barring any other work that needs my attention. Then I’ll read Trinkets (Etc) and then Treasures (Etc).
The second thing I’m going to be doing is testing some new cupcakes – specifically with some wild blackberries I picked the other day. It has been suggested that my readers may want to participate in this process and perhaps even come up with a name or two, so we will do that as well 🙂
Third, and most importantly because Jade needs new chocolate for Dowser 4, I will be test tasting these:
I know I’m such a martyr for my craft. Yes – if you didn’t already know it from my Facebook post – I went a little crazy and dented my credit card pretty hard at Xocolat right before we moved. Did I mention we just picked up and moved to Salt Spring Island? No? Well, we did. It’s an adventure (more on that later).
I will select a chocolate bar a day … or two or three a day if I run into something I don’t like enough to eat plain (I bake with any chocolate I don’t love enough to just eat). I’ll share the bar and my tasting notes on Facebook and do a digest version here.
Fun, yes?
Okay, so it all begins Wednesday with reading Cupcakes (Etc).
I hope you join me!
I have just informed the mailing list that Treasures, Demons, and Other Black Magic is now – officially – available on all platforms!! And, yes, I’m eating those cupcakes as I type this …
I snapped this picture as I was hustling home today after an early morning Pilates session. I forced myself to stop and take multiple shots. To slow down just for a breath and, well, breathe. To try to not think, think, think all the time.
For those of you celebrating this weekend – Easter, Passover or simply Spring – please take a moment to notice the pretty daisies in your lawn or park. And then send me all your leftover chocolate … well, anything over 60% cocoa.
Please and thank you!
I sent Dowser 3 off to the editor yesterday – YAY! I then immediately found myself writing the opening of Dowser 4, which is always cool, as I wasn’t a 100% sure what number 4 was going to be about (other than the broad strokes laid out in book 3).
So, yes, I’m still working on Dowser 4 today – because the muse will have her way – but I’m also celebrating beginning the first draft of an urban fantasy mystery series, The Reconstructionist. This, of course, is not a straight up mystery series, just like the Dowser Series crosses genres, but I’ve never tackled mystery construction before, so I’m a little nervous about it.
Yesterday I grabbed a new notebook out of my stash upstairs – I went with traditional black, because it suits the main character – but then I started fretting about the ink. I felt like I needed a new ink before I could start, something blue, but I really didn’t want to run all the way downtown (read: ten minutes) and fiddle with parking (there are usually spots a block over) in the rain (I own a rather large, pink paisley umbrella) to get to the Vancouver Pen Shop. Plus, I don’t really trust myself in there alone. So, before I did anything hasty, I double checked the blue/black I knew I had just in case it wasn’t as dark as I remembered. And, low and behold, I’d forgotten that Michael bought me a royal blue for Christmas – yay!
This morning I cracked the seal on the ink, traded the green (read: jade) ink out of my pen for the blue, brewed myself some Chocolate Rocket, and sat down to start writing a new series and a new lead character (hint: you meet her in Dowser 3).
I think I may also need to change my nail polish. I’m currently wearing Opi’s Jade is the New Black. Do you think they make a colour called Wisteria?
Also, cookies. Cookies always smooth the transition into a new book. I’m thinking Cowboy Cookies (aka coconut oatmeal chocolate chip).
I just went out to grab the mail and found this waiting for me:
It’s a trinket from Karen – who also made this bookmark – made specifically for me!! So fun! So sparkly! Can you tell that Karen is a fan of Jade and the Dowser Series (& me, YAY!)?
Karen – I just adore this – thank you so much!! I have it hanging on my computer monitor right now. It will keep me company while I write Dowser#3.
Karen posted this picture on Facebook for me yesterday. I was thrilled to receive it and Karen was totally cool about me sharing it with the blog.
Karen says, “happy day meg! as I am into the part of TRINKETS that Jade is constructing a necklace…I remembered that a couple years ago I constructed a bookmark. I had used an old piece of leather from an ancient coat, an antique earring that was my Mom’s, an angel that was our daughter’s when she was small, and several other old, old trinkets…I wonder if it’s magical!”
Karen – it looks magical to me!! I’m so glad you’re enjoying reading Trinkets (Etc), and thanks for thinking of me (and Jade) – Meg
Monday, January 6, 2014. 9 a.m. PST –
I settle down at my desk. It’s been over two weeks since I laid my pen to paper, so I’m eager to dive in but careful in my approach. The day is crisp, literally there is frost coating all the houses that spread between the ocean and my home office window. The sea is flat today, but ready, posed to roll. The craggy mountains that carve through the light blue sky are snowcapped. Wisps of clouds colour but don’t dampen the horizon.
I open my notebook to see where I’ve left my work in progress. Parker, the golden Persian, snuggles next to me on the reclaimed 100-year-old fir desk. He curls his paw around my left arm. I read through the first two handwritten paragraphs in the notebook and try to strikeout a sentence only to realize there is no ink in my pen. Of course, I need ink. A fountain pen doesn’t fare well from two weeks of neglect.
I fill the pen with green ink.
Now I am ready.
Life is damn fine in 2014.
Let’s see what shit I can get Jade into today.
