I was excited to speak to the Guffey Library book group. What a warm and welcoming group! The readers  pointed out locations they recognized in my books. They knew the donkeys that inspired Houdini and Adelaide in my Rock Shop Mystery series. 

I hope I get to visit the book group again. To my author friends, don't overlook the small town library. You might have to drive a distance, but an in-person visit is worth the trip. And bring a bag of books. Not just your own, to donate. Small town libraries have tight budgets. They can use books you recently cleared off your shelves, either for their collection, or to sell to raise needed funds. 

Doing research for a short story, I ran across this article. Workplace Warfare and Office Supply Weaponry. Written very much tongue-in-cheek, it gave me plenty of ideas for my story.

DIY Office Weaponry was particularly useful, along with this advice
 
"Tip: if corporate civil war breaks out, choose your alliances wisely. We suggest joining forces with the battalion that has ultimate control over the storage room or ordering supplies."

Whether your coworker goes postal, or you face alien abduction, it is advisable to be prepared in the workplace.

I discuss the why and how of juggling multiple writing projects. My article appears on the Pikes Peak Writers blog here.

My day job is environmental compliance. It's a desk job, compiling test data and certifications to ensure my company's products comply with environmental regulations. I ran across a fun article related to my job. 

Lucy Servidio, who also works in the field of environmental compliance, wrote a series of articles on the music of the environmental movement. You can read her article here: 
http://www.capaccio.com/post/music-of-the-environmental-movement-jonimitchell

Several months ago, I got bogged down and stopped my short story reviews. I'm not ready to begin reviewing yet, but I will mention some good reading available now.

Mysterical-E is an e-zine featuring mystery short stories. http://mystericale.com/current-issue/ Also included in this free magazine are interviews and articles.

The current issue of Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine is packed with great stories. I'm halfway through the September - October issue. http://mystericale.com/current-issue/ 

​Happy reading!

I'm sharing an article by debut author Jason Henry Evans. His experiences mirror my own, although I'm small press published while he is going Indy. The point is, don't give up. https://pikespeakwriters.com/2019/08/my-journey-to-publication/ 

Not the end of the world. The end of my novel.

If you're a writer, you know finishing a novel means you've been to "the end" many times. While I am doing the final polish of my manuscript, I know my editor will have her own opinion on whether the novel is done or not.

I'll make my deadline. Not without a few gallons of coffee, but I'll make it.

And I even had time for a weekend dash to Roswell to visit an old friend.
​

I am envious of writers who find the time to blog, attend conferences, volunteer, and promote their work. I was able to do some of those activities, in moderation, until recently.

Facing a publishing deadline, I had to prioritize. That's easy. I decided to make my fiction-focus the new book for Annie's Publishing. Once it is finished, I'll return to other projects.

Life will go on as usual.

A month into the novel, in order to stick to a schedule allowing me to complete the book on time, I stopped reviewing short stories. Then I stopped blogging, for the most part. A topic for an entire blog is my decision to stop attending conferences.

My day job became more demanding. I'm planning to retire in a few years. We have set the date. But until then, I need the job and the great benefits. The balancing act must continue a bit longer.

Family suddenly needed more attention. I found myself fighting to find time for basic fitness, or reading a novel. 

I still stuck to my writing schedule. The new novel is in first draft form. Critique group will review the final chapters next week. One last edit by me, then it's off to my editor.
​
Success, right? I have another month or so of work on this book when the editor's comments come back, then life returns to normal.

Not so fast. I have been stressed out a lot lately. This goes beyond having a deadline. I've worked to deadlines many times. I decided to identify the stress in my life, and cull out those things I can.

Today I unsubscribed from several news sites that pop up in my email with screaming headlines. No more screaming.

I'll hit Facebook next, and silence the "friends" who constantly rant or repost political stuff that raises my blood pressure. If we can't have civility in our daily discourse with people we call friends, then I choose to opt out. In fact, it might be best to hop off the social media merry-go-round from time to time.

I'm taking a break. 

With any luck, you'll find me out walking or running. Maybe sitting on the deck watching the flowers grow. I might finally make some progress on my to-be-read pile. And finish fiction projects begging to be written.

Summer is short. Life is short. Find the positive in each day.

​Today I offer a peek behind the curtain to the struggles and triumphs of writing. Here is my advice to aspiring authors, while readers may find it interesting to learn what goes into the creation of their favorite fiction.

You can read my article on the Pikes Peak Writers blog: https://pikespeakwriters.com/2019/07/7315/

I received a nice review of Survive Or Die from Jason Half.

"I have always been a fan of mystery settings that isolate a group of people and plots that turn up the tension. J. Jefferson Farjeon's Mystery in White has his travelers stranded by a snowstorm in a country manor where murder may have just occurred, while Agatha Christie brings And Then There Were None's fated guests to Indian Island, with no means of escape. Catherine Dilts makes good use of her woods-and-mountains Colorado backdrop to trap and challenge her characters, and she keeps the perceived safety of civilized society just out of their reach." 

You can read the entire review on his website. https://www.jasonhalf.com/blog/book-review-survive-or-die-2019-by-catherine-dilts