A typical twenty-four hours in the life of an author:

I woke up at 2:00 a.m. I didn’t have a man’s hands gently nudging my body. There wasn’t even soft snores to explain my wakefulness. It was a woman! She haunts me first by day, now by night.

When I’m not writing my follow on novel to Daughter of the Ancients, I’m obsessed with a detective novel I’m writing about Manner Alice MacLaine, aka. Manny.  My jewel of a husband doesn’t mind (too much) when I walk by him with just a touch on his shoulder instead of giving him a kiss and a bit of conversation. He never gets made when he learns that the kitchen is not only closed, it hadn’t been open the whole day.

This is a text that was sent and received at 5:30 one evening:

Him >>On my way home

Me (giggling so hard at the antics of a character I might tinkle a little) >>On my computer, writing. Get dinner. Seen you soon. Love you.

Him >>Sounds like you’re having fun. I’ll get something good. Promise

This is how we roll. He allows for new people in my life. They fill my head with dialogue as I walk. Sometimes, fearful that a terrific nugget will forever be forgotten, I pull out my phone and dictate into the notes app.

I have excel spreadsheets for character data – eye, hair, skin color, places – an auction house, scenes – Manny pretends to be in custody to ask a detainee about a drug deal, chapters – etailed information such as POV, Conflict Present, Plot Movement, etc.

My conscious and subconscious are like fast moving rivers with hidden eddies, sharp sticks, and submerged creatures in constant motion, creating the most interesting world in which get into trouble, fall in love, or die.

Did I just say, “Muahahahahah!?!”

Can’t wait to start writing these two fascinated books.