I’m informed that some writers, particularly some self-pubbed who do series, may seek reader suggestions, or incorporate certain twists, actions, relationships, whatever, the readers request.
I won’t, never have or will, criticize another writer’s process. Every writer has their own, and that process is right for them. There’s no right way, no wrong way, only the individual writer’s way.
But.
This is not, never has been and never will be my process. I don’t, and won’t write by committee or to satisfy certain readers. I won’t, never have, never EVER will, take a reader’s suggestion for any aspect of a story-no matter how well-meaning or how courteously offered.
I’ve been published for four decades. I don’t need or want any help. The ONLY suggestions for a change or an angle I will ever consider would come from my editor. If the idea, no matter how big, how small, doesn’t come from me, it’s never, never going to end up on the page.
I add this to clarify, and to further address why so many feel entitled to make demands on what they want for a character, for a story line. You’re barking up the wrong tree with me.
And to let others know, who honestly believe their very nicely offered suggestions may be considered—they won’t be. Not ever.
Again, I spend considerable time in jail. Griffin’s thrilled with my capture—repeatedly. He is judge and jury, it seems.
It’s laundry time, and after studying the machine, I ask Kat to check and make sure I’m interpreting the Spanish controls correctly. Fortunately, I am, so we get that going.
JR and Griffin having some screen time. Photo by Kat.
Reading time for me. It’s overcast, breezy, and just fine for sitting out on the patio. If I look up, I see bits of the gulf, a boat flying by through the trees. The grackles come to drink and shower.
Time to hang the laundry, so BW fetches coat hangers from upstairs. We use the rungs of the chaise umbrellas, and the rail on one of the second floor terraces. A nice, bright sun now, so it shouldn’t take too long.
Why not make a pitcher of margaritas?
I read some more, enjoy that margarita, deal with some email. Inside Kayla, Colt and JR are playing three-handed hearts. Jason has some work and uses the quiet second house for it. Kat gets pulled into the game to make it four-handed. For awhile, I enjoy rounding the table to look at everyone’s hand.
I substitute for Kat a few hands while she tends to Griffin. Kayla immediately runs them—and very skillfully. I do more jail time. Locked in jail, Griffin says, gleefully.
Why only me? I wonder.
The incredibly long game of Hearts comes to an end, Jason’s returned, so we consider dinner—where to go. Jason’s found another restaurant in town, so we’ll try that.
Clean up, clean ourselves up and off we go. Colt rides with us this time, and as with Kayla, Griffin has a fine time with him.
This little place is across the road from the gulf, but you can still see it—and those HUGE cruise ships. Colt and I are going to split a flank steak, but it turns out they have chicken strips, so the steak will be mine alone.
Margarita portrait by Nora.
This is a small operation with a semi-open kitchen. I like watching the cooks—and the server works in there, too. Chips, salsa and drinks to sustain us while they work.
Airy decor. Photo by Nora.
We have a loose plan for the upcoming days. JR will practice snorkeling, see if he enjoys it. We’ll book a snorkeling trip for either Monday or Tuesday. There’s a small water park near here, so that will serve on the alternate day. Griffin’s all about that one.
Wednesday for a group shopping trip.
On vacation, loose plans work best.
Food comes out and the servings are as big as the cruise ships.
I barely make a dent in my steak, but it’s wonderful. Kayla says the same about her nachos. As far as I can see, others made serious dents, so we head out full and happy.
Masive steak. Photo by Nora.
There are chases and jail time. But no jail time for Nana! Tonight, it’s JR, Kayla and Colt who are pursued and incarcerated as Griffin is again arresting officer, judge, jury and now occasionally cage door. He detains them in the alcove outside Logan’s room with his sturdy little body.
New prisoners. Photo by Nora.
They’re finally released.
For Poker Night.
Logan wants Texas Hold ‘em only, but is overruled by the majority. It will be dealer’s choice.
Once again, Jason wins the first hand, and it’s a rich pot.
JR holds his own, Colt is losing fast. I win a couple of very nice ones—and Jason’s luck continues. For the last hand, Kat proposes a Pong Family style of five-card draw. You get to draw twice, deuces, One-Eyed Jacks and Suicide Kings are wild.
The pot is beyond rich, Kayla, down to her last chips, has to go all in to call. And wins it on four of a kind.
Raking it in. Photo by Nora.
She and Jason are definitely the big winners, but I am not displeased as I again leave with more than I put in (in fake money).
A fun family night, and bed time calls.
A hot one this morning. Rumor is Logan will make pancakes.
Going to gear up and workout, then we’ll see about that.
Payback in Death will be in stores September 5. Here’s the first look at the cover, and the description.
Lt. Eve Dallas is just home from a long overdue vacation when she responds to a call of an unattended death. The victim is Martin Greenleaf, retired Internal Affairs Captain.
At first glance, the scene appears to be suicide, but the closer Eve examines the body, the more suspicious she becomes.
An unlocked open window, a loving wife and family, a too-perfect suicide note—Eve’s gut says it’s a homicide. After all, Greenleaf put a lot of dirty cops away during his forty-seven years in Internal Affairs. It could very well be payback—and she will not rest until the case is closed.
You can pre-order Payback at these retailers. Please note, Audible pre-orders are found in the Amazon link.
We’re three days away from Desperation in Death arriving on shelves, to your house by mail or to your e-reader by magic, so that means it’s time for a few teasers. Not spoilers, just a few little things to notice as you read.
Usually I have some ideas of what will work as teasers when I first read an in Death — in this case, January. But this is a case that is worked in fewer than five days. There’s a lot pushing Eve in Desperation from every direction. Even scenes that lighten the mood momentarily could spoil the experience.
Here’s the official cover copy:
As Desperation opens, two girls plot to escape The Pleasure Academy – a place of living nightmares. Dorian, a thirteen-year-old runaway might never have made it out if not for her fellow inmate Mina, who’d hatched the escape plan. Mina may have been the more daring of the two—but they’d been equally desperate.
Unfortunately, they didn’t get away fast enough. Now Dorian, injured, terrified, wanders the streets of New York. Mina lies dead near the waterfront while Lt. Eve Dallas looks over the scene.
Mina’s expensive, elegant clothes and beauty products convince Dallas she was being groomed, literally and figuratively, for sex trafficking—and that whoever is investing in this high-overhead operation expects windfall profits. Roarke worries about the effect this case is having on Dallas, as it brings a rage to the surface she can barely control. No matter what, she must keep her head clear–because above all, she’s desperate for justice and to take down those who prey on and torment the innocent.
In the end, I decided that it would be best to share some questions I pondered during the read and reread. Next time I may go back to riddles, or in a real challenge, haikus.
There’s a person who DOESN’T know Eve from the vid?
Should I rename my bras? (you’ll see)
Who would you choose as the next cop to step up for an an exam?
Is Roarke allowed to apply Master of all He Surveys practices to work the Marriage Rules?
Who knew our favorite entrepreneur carried warm weather gear?
Who would come out on top if Eve and Mavis ever really had a fight?
Nannies can come in all shapes and sizes.
Finally, in a departure, my favorite line: “Uh-oh. Mom’s home.”
I’ll open the discussion thread early on Tuesday, so you can discuss any and all thoughts there.
Nora was invited to appear onFated Mates, a podcast hosted by Sarah MacLean and Jen Prokop. What drew Nora in was the free-ranging questions and the hosts’ focus on women who led the way in the romance genre.
And it answers why Nora no longer writes straight romance.
I thought it was time to change things up and post an update from the CP, instead of Nora.
I’m nearly six weeks out from hip replacement and will honestly say the hip is doing great. (My right knee — the first site of arthritis — doesn’t like things right now, but PT and massage and ice/heat help in that respect.) The surgeon’s office said I could leave the cane at home 10 days ago (and honestly, I was carrying it most of the time). There are a few restrictions and I try to be careful about weather and walking outside.
Back in the fall, Nora proposed a smaller girls’ trip to the spa for a respite from winter and life. Once I ascertained games would play NO part in the spa week, I was in. So last Sunday, Nora, JoAnne and I set out west to Nemacolin.
It was a pretty simple plan: some treatments, room service meals and time to chill. Plus, maybe construct a puzzle or two.
Those first three things fell into place nicely. That last one? Nearly broke our will to live.
On Sunday night, Nora asked us to choose which puzzle to do first.
Choices
JoAnne and I opted for the cheerful, colorful, spring-like cupcakes. We soon learned that was a front for the depths of hell.
Monday evening before dinner we poured out the pieces then commenced the search for the edges, dividing the rest among colors. Since there are four yellow cupcakes, five red/pink ones, two greens dividing into color was the first exercise in frustration.
At one point, one of us noticed there were letters on the back of the pieces, but we thought using them would be “cheating.”
Poor, deluded puzzlers.
Four hours in, JoAnne looked at the instructions: divide into letters. 🤦♀️
Honestly, it still didn’t help.
I decided to gather the purple pieces – there was only one purple cupcake. Which should have helped, but really didn’t.
The pieces were either horizontal or vertical IDENTICAL SHAPES so a piece could fit in one of many places.
And let’s add that the clear photo on the box did not translate into the magnification to make the puzzle.
The fates were stacked against us. Nora, as you’ve learned from other puzzle sagas, is not one to leave a puzzle undone so we were all bound to finish.
The puzzle mat, the extra working pads took over the dining room table. We’ve eaten off the catering table every night. The housekeepers, the butlers, the room service people all got caught up in the excitement of watching the puzzle grow.
“Look how far you’ve gotten!”
“The colors are so pretty!”
They cheered us on every step of the way. We met their enthusiasm with jaundiced expressions.
It took two days to get the purple cupcake finished.
Fortunately we had those services to get us out of the room. Nora worked every morning and got a nice chunk of vacation pages done. JoAnne and I got some reading done. I snapped some photos.
On Thursday afternoon we had a paint class. I just wanted to play with colors that would bow to my expectations. Nora and Jo found a pretty tropical scene they loved. We all walked out of the studio happy.
See? Colors CAN make you happy!
And yet, we kept heading back to the dining room table, determined to beat that puzzle into submission. On Thursday morning – day FOUR – I finally realized the letters had to go from top to bottom. That key helped for about 5 minutes because the pieces STILL fit in more than one place.
You know it’s bad when Nora threatened to take a scissor to pieces just to get them to fit. She took to calling it The Puzzle of Satan.
I referred to it as that F-ing Puzzle. I’d have a massage and the therapist would ask what I had planned for the rest of the day and all relaxation would flee as I explained the puzzle and it’s hold on us. I kept saying “at least I didn’t buy this one.” And I believe at one point I said it was worse than playing games. All true.
We persevered. Until we reached our limit and just left pieces where they fit, picture be damned.
Seriously, DO NOT mention that some pieces seem out of place.
We finished on Friday afternoon and left the puzzle in place so our cheerleaders could see the finished product. Tonight we may take it apart and safely burn it. Or not.
In the meantime, we’ll enjoy the last few hours of relaxation (or is it really the ONLY few?) before it’s time to head home.
On a different note, I must offer a correction: Nora challenged me to a dance-off at the May Girls Spa Week when she shared that my surgery went well. In her excitement that it was finally done, she forgot that I will not attend Girls Spa this year as I’ll be playing the role of Mother of the Groom that week. So I’ll dance, but not for any scoreboard. 💃
That’s all for now! I have to cram in that last bit of relaxation.
A little surprise on this Tuesday morning — the Forgotten in Death excerpt!
The body was left in a dumpster like so much trash, the victim a woman of no fixed address, known for offering paper flowers in return for spare change–and for keeping the cops informed of any infractions she witnessed on the street. But the notebook where she scribbled her intel is nowhere to be found.
Then Eve is summoned away to a nearby building site to view more remains–in this case decades old, adorned with gold jewelry and fine clothing–unearthed by recent construction work. She isn’t happy when she realizes that the scene of the crime belongs to her husband, Roarke–not that it should surprise her, since the Irish billionaire owns a good chunk of New York. Now Eve must enter a complex world of real estate development, family history, shady deals, and shocking secrets to find justice for two women whose lives were thrown away…
