I’ve been really interested in Ireland lately. I found a fun website that has all sorts of fascinating facts about Irish culture and history. I found what I believe to be an authentic recipe for nettle soup. The only problem is, I’m not sure where to get nettles around here. Publix didn’t have any. It’s probably more of a Trader Joe’s type of product.
I was reading about the Night of the Big Wind when a surprise hurricane popped in out of nowhere and completely decimated Ulster. For the most part, hurricanes aren’t as bad because you get to spend a few days in advance tracking them to see how likely they are to come get you and to make preparations.
But to think about what it would be like if the hurricanes just randomly happened without prior notice…that seems terrifying. Any time there was a thunderstorm you’d have to wonder if it was actually a hurricane.
This is a busy week for me, both personally and professionally. I’m still drafting the sequel of Somewhat Alive as fast as I can. I hope that Ava will resonate with people as much as Zoey did. In the end, there will be four Bookland books. I already have rough outlines of what will happen in each, but there are always some new details that I discover while writing them. I don’t know if that’s how it works for all authors, but it seems to work that way for me.
I’m also trying to finish up my first draft of Hawthorne. It’ll be my first foray into middle-grade novels. I’m really excited for everyone to read about Hawthorne, though. He’s a really fun protagonist.
The Fiercest Chicken in the Bookstore is on pace to launch in early May. At some point here, I’ll need to start promoting it more than I currently am. Promoting and marketing is always the hardest part for me. I’ll either need to get used to it or hire someone at some point.
But for now, much like Dory in Finding Nemo, I am going to just keep swimming.*
(*Metaphoric swimming only. I am not writing this from the pool. Laptops and swimming should not mix.)