Someone mentioned that they read my blog because they love my process. I was pleased with that comment because that’s what writing this blog has been about – how I get from point A to point B without cracking up. Though, come to think of it, the cracking up process may make equally good reading and how can one ever know if they’ve crossed the line? I read Diary of a Mad Housewife years ago and I really don’t think that poor woman knew how far gone she was until it was too late. Good grief, onto less morbid thoughts.

On this fine Sunday, my process is all over the map and then some. (Oh-oh, just looked out the window – the rain is pouring down and the wind is whipping up quite the storm on the lake. I swear it was sunny not five minutes ago.)

Plans for The Light Never Lies Blog Tour have come together with a bang over the past week. I have 19 stops planned on 17 great blogs – a nice mix of reviews, interviews and guest posts. The tour will run March through May and I’m looking forward to writing about each blog host as I wend my way through the various stops. I’m waiting on a couple of final confirmations, but you can find the entire schedule on a separate page here on my blog. As the tour progresses, don’t forget to get your comments out on the various sites so you have multiple chances to be in on the draw for a trade paperback copy of The Light Never Lies mailed right to your door.

And speaking of  The Light Never Lies trade paperbacks, they are now prominently displayed in five North Island locations, alongside Disappearing in Plain Sight, with two more stores to go. Considering we’ve only had the books for ten days, it seems like quite the accomplishment. Once again, huge thanks to the North Island merchants who are so quick to display and sell a local author’s work.

Major book launch events are planned for the upcoming weekend. On Saturday, March 8^th, I’ll be at F.P. Foods in Port Alice from 10:00 – 4:00 selling and signing books. Now I have a book for Bill Jr. and Bill Sr. to hold! Just so happens the Oscar Hicke’s Hockey Tournament will be in full swing at that time. I’m expecting a good deal of traffic as the town is bound to be flooded with people. And if you’re planning to be in Port Alice, get your tickets for the Parent Advisory Committee draw. A copy of The Light Never Lies is included in their basket of prize goodies.

On Sunday, March 9^th, I’ll be at MarketPlace IGA in Port McNeill from 9:00 – 3:00. I’m looking forward to reconnecting with many McNeill friends.

On Monday, March 10^th, I’m doing a coffee meet and greet at Captain Hardy’s in Port Hardy from 9:00 – 11:00. I’d love to sit down and chat with anyone who’s around over a cup of coffee.

Amidst the hustle and bustle of book promotion, the writing goes on. The book of short stories is off to the editor and the cover designer is doing his thing. I’ve been brainstorming a number of titles – variations on sorrow and hope, threads and weaving – as well as working on the all-important ordering of stories. There is a natural flow to the thirteen selections – I just have to find it.

I’m in the process (oh my gosh, there is that word again!) of preparing to re-issue Disappearing in Plain Sight under the Huckleberry Haven Publishing imprint with my own ISBN. The whole endeavour involves some careful planning. I want the new version ready to go up on Amazon as soon as possible after the old one comes down.

Research and back-writing for Chasing Down the Night is moving forward in spits and starts. Last week, I read Paula Wild’s book, The Cougar. A fascinating and scary read that has me hesitating to go out the door – a fairly common reaction. You know the stories about students in first year psych who imagine they have every debilitating mental illness they study? Reading about cougars is a bit like that. You start to imagine you see one behind every tree you pass. But awareness of these powerful, big cats is an important aspect of being safe while living in cougar territory. And, by the way, Vancouver Island is the cougar capital of North America, having the highest concentration on the continent of these magnificent animals. Given that, it makes sense that cougars are going to stalk their way into my writing.

I’ll leave you today (because my process has a few too many irons in the fire) with a photo that is giving me some inspiration as I ponder the third novel in the Crater Lake Series – Chasing Down the Night.