What I Read on my Summer Vacation

Okay, I'm back from three weeks of sailing, a vacation for the most part taken up with research on the Island Mystery Series Book #3, editing of the upcoming Reese's Leap, and lots of reading. We sailed hundreds of miles and had far too much fun--well, except for the part where I broke my nose (whole other story).

This time out I read mostly mysteries as that's what I'm writing just now, though I also picked up Mark Wisniewski's Show up, Look Good--the story of a twenty-something girl from the Midwest who relocates to Manhattan on a whim after breaking up with a fiance who prefers sex with power tools. Chapter One begins "I know of a secret murder and I've loved a speechless man...," and if that doesn't get your attention, I don't know what will.

Next on the list was Broken Harbor by Tana French, an excellent writer with a terrific series based in Dublin whose protagonist, Mick "Scorcher" Kennedy, is the brash, love'm/hate'm cop from her bestselling Faithful Place.

And right now I'm about halfway through the British author Elizabeth George's Believing the Lie--the latest in her Detective Inspector Lynley mystery series. I love this author and these characters, never mind this is #17 in the series. Very much worth a try if you're not familiar with her.

Next up will be Jen Blood's Sins of the Father, the 2nd in her Erin Soloman series, and look for a review on this blog soon. I loved the first book, All the Blue-Eyed Angels, so am really looking forward to this!

Serendipity, Research and a bit of Vacation

Love those middle of the night plot ideas! This one for Reese's Leap, (follows Matinicus as book two in the Island Mystery Series). Decided to turn the Prologue into the first chapter and create a new Prologue dating back to 1905. Rounds out the characterization of one of the main protagonists and explains so much that happens later. Putting the bones of the ideas in now.

Rainy, foggy weekend meant the clothes were strung in the aft cabin (a.k.a. my writing room) to dry, so my "studio" was temporarily moved to the saloon.

Just so you know, I leave on an extended sailing trip  in Penobscot Bay Maine (where this series is set) on Wednesday, August 8, to do some research on book three, and grab a bit of a rest from all the crazy Matinicus marketing. I'll try and keep up the blog during the three weeks we're gone, but some of these places are pretty remote, and I may be out of pocket for a bit.

Chat soon!