Welcome to When Is Summer Finally Over Eve?!
I dream of living near San Diego, maybe Oceanside or Carlsbad, where the temperature rarely goes above 80 degrees. Right now, where I am in SoCal, it’s 95 degrees Fahrenheit. Is there a patron saint of moving?? LOL! I have to say, though, painting the house light blue has made these hot days a little more bearable than the dark green 😊
I’d been concerned about our diabetic kitty, Patchwork. A month ago, her numbers were very high, and the doctor suggested adding another ¼ unit of Vetsulin, the feline equivalent of insulin, to her current dosage. Last week, we had her tested again. Monday night, we got a call letting us know her numbers were way down and within acceptable range. Whew! I had told the doctor that sometimes Patchwork gets what we call Growly (scratchy, grouchy, growls) and refuses the shot, which she had done the night before that first test. Not sure how much that affected the numbers, but I’m just happy to know she’s doing okay.
Writing
Editing on The Bonus Grave continues.
Worked on the second book yesterday. Not many words but lots of research into what the responding officers at a murder scene do first, the steps they need to follow, and who they need to request to come to the site, like the coroner and their supervisors. I love the research part of writing! I frequently go down rabbit holes of information that may not be pertinent right then but sparks a new idea or enriches the writing later. The more I know, the better I write!
The Using Tropes Effectively in Your Genre Fiction talk with Shannon Thompson Tuesday afternoon gave me some good insight into the differences between some often-used fiction devices, like Enemies to Lovers versus Rivals to Lovers (enemies have different goals, rivals have the same goal). She also had tips on how to freshen them, like Sunshine/Grumpy usually has the female as the sunny one, so turn it around and make the girl grouchy. It was an interesting session and I’m sure it will come in handy when I write the romances I have planned.
I also watched an interview with Casey McQuiston, author of The Pairing and One Last Stop. I’ve been reading The Pairing but had to get Something Whiskered (see below) back to the library, so haven’t quite finished it yet but that was okay because they were careful to avoid spoilers. I love hearing authors talk about their process and research and what makes them love writing. And when they’re as enthusiastic as Casey, it’s a real joy.
Reading
I’ve been reading the Cat in the Stacks mysteries by Miranda James since the first one, Murder Past Due, in 2010. Charlie Harris, a librarian in his hometown of Athena, Mississippi, and his empathetic Maine Coon cat, Diesel, solve murders. He’s surrounded by his two adult children, his housekeeper, Azalea, and her daughter, Kanesha, the chief deputy sheriff, his two boarders who are a couple, Stewart, a college professor, and Haskell, a deputy sheriff. Then there’s Melba, his childhood friend and town gossip, and Helen Louise, former lawyer, and current bistro owner. None of whom, except Helen Louise, show up in Something Whiskered, #17 in the series, LOL! Charlie, Helen Louise, and Diesel take a trip to Ireland to visit her relatives but when they pull into the driveway of the castle, her 100-year-old uncle plunges from the roof and lands right in front of their car. Plenty of suspects and family drama, played out mostly in and around the grounds of the castle. Kept me guessing until the ending that I found disappointing, for reasons I won’t go into, not wanting to give spoilers. I’ll be glad when they go back to their regular lives in Athena. But don’t let that stop you from picking up this series, with it’s cast of lovely characters and complicated plots!
I forgot to take a picture of the book with Evie the Librarian before I returned it to the library…
Streaming/Watching
In the mornings when we feed Patchwork and give her the Vetsulin shot, The Husband usually snoozes and I read. But at night, it’s become our habit to watch a couple of episodes of old TV series on DVD. We’re between shows right now, so we’re watching some of our old fave movies.
Wall*E
The Frog Princess
Finding Nemo
Pirate Radio
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Frozen
84 Charring Cross Road
Stan and Ollie
I also discovered a great Australian workplace comedy that I’ve been streaming called Fisk, about an attorney whose life is upended when her husband cheats on her. She ends up working as a wills lawyer at a small law firm filled with quirky, annoying characters ~ Ray, who would rather do anything but work, Roz, arrogant suspended lawyer serving as office manager, and George, receptionist by day, gamer by night. Fisk, played with socially awkward perfection by Kitty Flanagan, is so dry and her reactions to these people she works with and the variety of strange, issue-ridden clients she serves are so funny and totally deserved ~ many times she gets to say the things we’d say if we weren’t so concerned with propriety. She and her sweet dog, Artie, have gone from living in a problematic AirBNB, to her aunt and uncle’s pull-out couch, to her dad’s backyard yoga studio. I’m almost at the end of the second season, and so far she’s caused a riot at the local library, been banned from the coffee shop below her office, and dealt with a man who paints with his… penis. I’m going to miss Fisk and her crazy situations when I finish the third season which was just released this week.
Till next Thursday!
I'm Writing As Fast As I Can 
Poor patchwork. Kitty is lucky to have you and husband! Fisk sounds good. I’ve seen it on Netflix. I’m watching A show from Norway. Pernille. I really like it. It’s so interesting, the how tos, your learning about character development & Writing. Thanks for sharing your interesting life via writing. Gay
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