A Light Through the Darkness

I just got back from Brigadoon – I mean, Balticon.  (Please don’t tell me that you don’t get the reference, because then I’ll feel REALLY old.  Just go with it.)  The best place in the world to spend Memorial Day weekend is Hunt Valley, Maryland, at the best con in the world.  No matter how down I’m feeling about my writing, Balticon picks me up and infuses me with all sorts of new creative juice.

 

I love the panels, where you can talk with people about all sorts of things writerly, nerdly and/or gamerly.  I love randomly running into people in the hall that I haven’t seen in five or more years, and being able to pick up our conversation right where we left off the last time.  I love the fact that no matter where you go, people are having amazing conversations about all sorts of things.  I love the live podcasts, the readings and the chance to find all sorts of new books (so many new books!) and authors.  Most of all, I love the chance to meet new friends and absorb all of the creative energy that infuses the entire weekend.

 

One of my panels this year was a reading, and I went out on a limb and read a scene from Into Thin Air.  It was really well received, which thrilled me, and I got a lot of questions about when it would be coming out.  I also got some ideas for the new book, and even got some words down!  Yay!

 

I hate it when I don’t write.  I feel stuffed up, like I have a horrible cold that nothing can help, and I get very grumpy.  My cats hide from me.  My husband asks me if I’m going to go up and write.  My work mates throw chocolate and stay out of my way.  It’s ugly.

 

But at the same time, if I’m writing crap, I’m also not happy.  Just throwing words on the page doesn’t work.  I need to be doing something that will be good.  So to have the impetus to write, and to get good content out of it, makes me very happy.

 

I need to keep this blog up.  So much is going on, so much is changing, that I need to keep this up.  A lot of the changes are good.  Most I can’t talk about right now.  But as I’m able to talk about them, I will.

 

And I will be writing.  Always writing.

Originally published at The words of Valerie Griswold-Ford. You can comment here or there.

And yet, I fee very calm.  Not crazy, just in a zen kind of mood.  I DO have a lot to do.  And I’m confident I can do it.

 

I’ve been gluten-free now for almost two months, and I can feel differences that I didn’t realize I would.  Things are clearer –  like a fog has lifted.  I’m not even really missing much, except bread.  I need to find a good bread recipe that doesn’t leave me chewing forever.  But I’m working on it – it’s a work in progress, just like a story.

 

I’m running too – I ran twice last week, and realized that I truly need to lose a bit more weight before I run on the track again.  My knees aren’t hurting, exactly, but I’m not doing them any favors by pounding on them with the track with a 285 lb body.  So for the remainder of this pass through the Couch to 5K program (I’m on Week 2, Day 2 for Monday), I’ll be running on the treadmill, working on dropping some weight.  Once I’m running the full 5K on the treadmill, I’ll switch back to the track.  April 6 is my deadline – that’s the Todd’s Trot 5k run that I’m doing for my birthday.  The goal is to run the entire thing.  Even if I finish 2 hours after everyone else.  I WILL run it!

 

I’m feeling more focused on my writing too.  I’ve shelved my pirate story for a while – it’s not working, and I’m thinking I’m going at it the wrong way.  So it goes back into the treasure chest to marinate, and I’m working on my ghosthunters again.  Although they’ve made a change too, which I like.  And I’m plugging along on my edits – hoping to have them out the door by the end of the month as well.

 

I’m reading again too.  I’m not really going to quantify, but I’m reading two interesting books right now.  One is called The Checklist Manifesto: How To Get Things Right by Dr. Atul Gawande.  It’s about how to use a checklist to make sure you are doing everything you need to.  It’s fascinating – he’s a surgeon, so most of his examples are medical-related, but he relates it to the real world.  I’m engrossed.

 

The other book I’m reading is The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly.  Not normally my type of book, but Mom let me borrow it, and I’m loving how she’s weaving the tale of a modern day woman trying to find her way in life with letters from the characters in Little Women (who are this woman’s ancestors).  It’s a good reminder to read outside my genre.  I’m going to have to find some more like this.

 

This got longer than I thought it would, so I’ll put my to-do list on another page.  I do still have a list, after all!

Originally published at The words of Valerie Griswold-Ford. You can comment here or there.

Lordy, do I have a problem, and it is called British Murder Mysteries.

I'm addicted to them in just about any form. Film, TV, books, books on tape, podcasts - hopeless. You are, after all, talking to someone who seriously loved Midsomer Murders enough to request all the seasons on DVD from her hubby for Christmas.

So, I just started reading the Adam Dalgleish mysteries by PD James (I've listened to a few of them on audio, but I wanted to read all of them and they aren't all available via audio, darnit!), but I was wondering if anyone else out there had some good detectives to offer. I've already read:

- Brother Cadfael
- Pretty much all the Agatha Christies
- Sherlock Holmes (the originals - I haven't read much of the pastiches)
- Lord Peter Whimsy
- Most of the Thomas Pitt mysteries (Anne Perry)
- Rumpole of the Bailey (I canNOT believe I forgot to put him on!)

I'm pretty open - as long as it's got a Brit detective, takes place in the UK and has bodies, I'll try it.

Any suggestions?