post camping

A few glitches---my fault for not remembering where the shut off valve for the water tank was, but all in all a successful maiden voyage with my Little Guy Trailer. I love it!

As for writing, I've been rewriting sections of The Devil's Kettle, and am getting more comfortable with the product. I'm adding a memory chapter that revolves around the antagonist and his daughter that will explain his character more fully. I am really enjoying the re-writing process in this book and am certain it will develop the characters to the extent where the readers will empathize with them and understand where I'm going with the story.

Pre-camping post

Well, I'm about to take my new Little Guy 12-foot camper on its maiden voyage to Forestville State Park.  I'll test out the bed, kitchenette in a hatch, and...the new screened in porch that attaches to the hatch in the back of the trailer. I'll read up on all the specs when I'm out there  and really familiarize myself with every aspect of the tiny camper I purchased a couple of weeks ago while on a grand western Canada road trip with my wife and friends.

By the way, the trip through British Columbia was fantastic, great scenery, food, hotels, and conversation.  If I ever figure out how to do it, I'll post photos on this site.

Tonight, I'll hop in bed and continue rewriting and editing my current book, The Devil's Kettle. I like the overall result, but am still finding typos and am shortening sentences. It's a process.

Meanwhile, Seven agents have let me down gently with the new book. One told me she was sure someone would pick the book up. I hope that's true!  Next week, I'll crank out a few more query letters to agents. Maybe I'll send it off to a small publisher as well.

Austin Artworks Festival---2016

I'll be presenting at the Austin Artworks Festival on August 28, 2016 at 2:30. I'll be one-third of a panel discussion about the writing process along with John Haymond and Harriet Ulland. Keith Cich will moderate and then will open it up to questions.

the last posting from The Devil's Kettle.

Cassie marked another day on her homemade wall calendar. She judged her days by Karonen’s arrival with breakfast, usually muffins with fruit, and coffee. Adding her marks, she came up with 395 days. He never asked her to read or speak with Methodist, which made her wonder. When would Karonen tire of feeding and taking care of her?  During the last month of her ‘visit’ as Karonen called it, he had seemed happier, even though he didn’t speak with her often or stay for more than the time it took him to deposit her breakfast tray and pick it up later. 

While depression had affected her for the past year in captivity, it was alleviated when Karonen ran a TV cable to her cell, allowing her to at least keep up with news. That is how she learned of Seth Tryton’s disappearance during the past month. She asked Karonen about it, but he ignored the question, causing her suspicions to rise. If Karonen had abducted another person and replaced her, she had to know. Somehow, she knew she had to find out for sure and make contact. The only question was how she could do it.  

Karonen never left her cell unlocked anymore. He hadn’t since her escape and recapture more than a year earlier, but he did allow her to roam untethered within her cell. The video camera still worked, tracking her every move. She knew, if Tryton were here in another cell, it wasn’t close. She had called and rapped the cell bars with the table chair. There had never been an answer. If she was to find out for sure, she had to escape from her cell somehow, and search the caverns. There had to be connecting tunnels and caverns; he was possibly imprisoned in one of those. 

She felt her best chance was somehow attacking and overcoming Karonen, but he always insisted she stay at the far end of the cell when he arrived with her breakfast and when he left later to retrieve it. Getting close to him was problematic. She identified three other possibilities of escape: Karonen slipped up and left the cell unlocked, she picked the lock, or she dug her way out. 

Cassie had observed and plotted for a long time, but none of the options ever seemed doable until she finally worked a leg of the chair loose and used it as a chipping tool. If he knew about her success, Karonen never let on that he knew what she had done, or was doing. For the past week, while Karonen appeared to ignore her, she discovered she was able to direct the video camera away from the area she had chosen to dig into the wall, allowing her to chip and scrape at the rock and dirt for long periods of time. She made slow progress, but knew if she continued working at it she would be able to carve a hole large enough for her to wriggle through. 

Whenever she finished digging, she slid the small bookcase in front of the dug out area in the wall and scattered the loosened rock and dirt around her prison. It was a time consuming procedure to empty and replace the books from the shelves. Fortunately, Karonen was a creature of habit and visited only at select times, allowing her to avoid discovery.

Bismarck

Continuing my writing in North Dakota and South Dakota this weekend. Will visit Teddy Roosevelt National Park tomorrow morning and down to the Black Hills after that.
Outline for the ending of The Devil's Kettle is nearly complete.

Sweet Reads

Sweet Reads is a new shop selling books and candy in downtown Austin. I was approached by the owner, who asked if she could sell my books in her store. Of course I said yes and supplied her with three of each of my books. Within a few days, she sold out of the copies of The Book Club Murders and Brothers, Tale of the River Rats. She ordered six more copies of those two, which I will provide her next week, and hopefully, she'll sell out again.

Her location is great, right across the street from the newly opened Spam Museum. When I dropped off the first batch of books I sampled her dark chocolate truffles. Oh my God. It was like dying and going to heaven, as the old saying goes. I will be buying more of that stuff!!

The store is artfully decorated and stocked with books of all kinds. If you're in Austin, stop in, drink it in, have a dark chocolate truffle and buy one of my books. You'll be glad you did.

An update on The Devil's Kettle. I am close to finishing, just putting the finishing touches on the ending.  After that I'll begin the process of rewriting and editing, then turn it over to a couple of readers to get their feedback. I am happy with the product so far, but always looking to improve. I will submit another portion to the writers group I belong to and look forward to their feedback.

Vacation in Mexico

Enjoying a weeks long vacation in Cabo San Lucas at this moment. Beautiful sights, weather and people. Planning a vacation with the adult children for next year.
I will do a little writing tonight-getting near the climax of my current book.