Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now

I’m back!

I had rotator cuff surgery on my right shoulder on May 30^th and now I’m almost back to full speed on the computer. Wooohooo!

Book 3 – “Treasure on Jekyll” – went to the proofreader last week and hopefully I’ll be uploading it to publish within the next day or so. But I’ve only been able to use the computer for absolute, must-do items for the past month (paying bills, etc.). As of today, I’m able to use both hands and fly through stuff at my normal speed.

Okay, so Book 3 is almost out. Wheeee! It was written before I had the shoulder surgery but I didn’t get it finished-finished. That may have been a good thing because after a few weeks away from it, I caught a lot of typos when I read it one last time. The proofreader has caught more than me. It should be interesting to see what I missed.

I have made some friends who are also authors and they seem shocked that I’m releasing another book so quickly. I feel like I have to because I know what it feels like to be a reader dying to know what’s going to happen to the characters. I also know that if I don’t get my hands on the next book in a series pretty fast, I’m likely to forget about that author, unless I’ve pre-ordered something. I read really, really fast. And if I like a book, and it’s a series, I’ll read all of them and be sad when I’m done. I want my readers to feel that way about my books. But I don’t want them to forget about me in between.

I’ve been working on Book 4 for the past week. I’d been thinking about it for a month – I know where the story is going. At least I THINK that I know.

One piece of advice that I’ve read over and over again is “read a little bit every day.” That’s great advice if you’re the type of person who can put a book down. I struggle with that. I start reading and I get sucked in. I don’t hear what’s going on around me and I drive my husband nuts. I’ve told him a million times – “I can’t hear you when I’m reading” – but if you’re not a reader, you don’t get it. My husband reads magazines. He’s not as invested.

For example, I took Elin Hilderbrand’s new book “Swan Song” to the beach with me yesterday. I read two-thirds of it on the beach and finished it last night in bed. I was sad to read it’s the last of her Nantucket-based series. But I get it. She’s been writing about the same group of people for a long time. That said, I know the characters and I’m emotionally invested in them.

I’ve got Mary Kay Andrews “Summers at the Saint” waiting on my bedside table. It’s getting packed, along with a bunch of other things from my to-be-read pile. We’re heading north on Tuesday to do doctor’s appointments, visit family, and attend a party up in Connecticut. We’ll also see our NYPD friends while we’re up there.

I must confess – it’s the trip home that I’m most looking forward to because we’re stopping for a few nights at the Omni Bedford Springs Hotel in Pennsylvania. It’s a gorgeous historic hotel about an hour north of DC (not far from the Flight 93 memorial, btw). Once upon a time, it was a fort – the farthest outpost into Indian territory. But Omni pumped more than $100 million into it 10 or so years ago and stripped it back to the beams and restored it. It’s amazing. And posh. Yes, I’ve made spa appointments. It’s one of my favorite hotels anywhere and I’m excited to go back.

I’m going to try to blog every day of the trip because it’s a good habit. I used to do that when I was writing about weddings. Of course, clients were always doing ridiculous things that gave me tons of material. Blogging as an author is a little different. And it may be a little tricky on the road so don’t judge me if it doesn’t happen. But I have a plan. May not be a good plan, but it’s a plan.

Until next time, happy reading!

Sandy