It’s been a writing marathon for the last few days for me. I got 8,000 words done Tuesday, and another 8,000 yesterday, and finished my newest book, Big Lake Tragedy.
Today I will give it a final read-through and make any corrections that I see, then I will print it out so Miss Terry can proof it. Once she’s done and I make the corrections she deems necessary, it will go to my second proofreader, and after that I’ll be sending it to an attorney friend of mine and have her go over it because the story has some references to legal issues, and I want to make sure I get things right. Once that’s all done, I’ll upload the e-book version to Amazon. It should be live by this time next week. I’ll keep you posted. It’s always a good feeling to finish another book, and even better when it goes live.
This is my 12th Big Lake mystery novel, my 17th work of fiction, and my 27th book altogether. And as soon as I get this one live and then knock out the next issue of the Gypsy Journal, I’ll begin working on the third book in my John Lee Quarrels series.
I usually wait a few weeks before I do the printed edition of a book, just in case the gremlins managed to slip a typo or two into the e-book, which can happen no matter how many proofreaders put their eyes on it. I do it that way because while it’s a simple matter to go back and make changes to an e-book, it’s not so easy once it’s actually in print.
Aside from that, what else have we been doing? Terry has been catching up on her paperwork and setting up a project on her new-to-her Glimakra floor loom. Just about the time I was finishing the book yesterday evening, she took a break from the loom to make some delicious homemade clam chowder for dinner. I don’t know how she does it, but every time I think she’s made the most delicious meal possible, she comes right back and tops that one with something even better.
We did take a break the other evening to go down to our dock and see how things were going on the water. There were a few manatees doing their thing, and a dolphin or two, and plenty of smaller fish jumping as something bigger was chasing them beneath the surface. I guess that’s the cycle of life.
And of course, there are always plenty of birds to see. Pelicans, gulls, some other shorebirds whose names I don’t know, and we also saw this formation of sandhill cranes flying overhead. We couldn’t help saying once again that we live in a remarkable place.
Several blog readers have asked where they can find pictures and information on our 2002 Winnebago Ultimate Advantage motorhome, which we are selling. I have set up a page for it, with lots of info and photos. You can access it here at this Motorhome For Sale link.
A lot of you do your online shopping by clicking this Amazon link or the Amazon Search box at the top right sidebar of this blog. We appreciate that, because when you purchase an item on Amazon any time of the year from one of our links, we earn a small commission, which helps us offset the cost of publishing the blog.
It’s Thursday, so it’s time for a new Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Crazy Days In Big Lake, book 3 in my Big Lake mystery series. To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.
Thought For The Day – Forgiving is not forgetting, it’s letting go of the hurt.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!