Mike Befeler's Blog, page 19

Handling Daily Ups and Downs

As I recovery from knee surgery, my mood swings between good and bad during the day. I have a flurry of activity when I get up and then settle into a pattern of activity and rest. There are lots of daily frustrations to deal with and all the physical therapy and medication to apply. We get a newspaper delivered every day and I look forward to relaxing in bed and reading the news. I’m also more interested in reading than I was a few weeks ago, so that’s progress as well. My appetite is coming back and I’m more interested in meals now. Still, by the end of the day I’m tired and ready to fall into a good sleep.

Importance of Attitude

As I have been spending most of the day in bed recovering from my knee surgery, I’ve explored my own attitude about the situation. Victor Frankel in his book Man’s Search for Meaning describes his experience being in a Nazi concentration camp. Although his whole physical existence was controlled by others, he learned that he was still the master of his own attitude. I’ve gone through the various reactions to my medical condition: Why me? This isn’t fair. How long am I going to have suffer through this? I also have moments of appreciation: my family is taking good care of me; we have medical insurance and good doctors; this too shall pass. This is an ongoing challenge.

Recovery from Knee Surgery

I’m trying to get my life back in order after my recent knee surgery. I’m not supposed to put much weight on the bad knee, and I’m moving around with a walker. I have to work in short spurts with a rest in between. It’s taking me a long time to get things done, but I’m plugging away on my to-do list.

 

Life Throws Its Curves

My last post was about moderating the Meet the New Authors Breakfast at the Left Coast Crime Conference in April. This isn’t going to happen as I had emergency surgery for a knee infection, so no getting on airplanes for me. I also missed my post last week because I was in the hospital. My family has been terrific is helping me. On to recovery.

Meet the New Authors Breakfast at the Left Coast Crime Conference

I have the honor of hosting the Meet the New Author Breakfast at the Left Coast Crime Conference in Albuquerque on Friday, April 8. I will be introducing 23 authors who will give a one minute pitch on the most important thing readers should know about their debut mystery novel. This is a tradition that has been taking place at each Left Coast Crime Conference since 2008.

Speaking to an ESL Class

I had the opportunity last week to speak to an English as a Second Language (ESL) class via Zoom. I gave a presentation about my writing journey and then opened it up for questions. I received excellent and thoughtful questions and enjoyed the discussion with the students.

Getting Ready for a Book Launch

I’m getting ready for the release of my humorous mystery novel, Old Detectives Home, in April. Now that the edits are complete and the publisher has designed the cover, I need to prepare for my promotional activities. Once the publication date is set, I’ll send out an email notification to my list of interested readers. I’ll also, with the assistance of my graphic artist daughter-in-law, have a postcard produced for mailing to my snail mail list of interested readers. This will also serve as handouts at conferences such as the upcoming Left Coast Crime Conference. I’ll also finalize dates at three bookstores within driving distance to do a book talk and signing. Finally, I’ll complete a new presentation to give at bookstores, libraries, book groups and service organizations.

Cover for Old Detectives Home

I’m pleased to share with you the cover for Old Detectives Home, the first book in the Omnipodge Trilogy of mystery novels, which will be published in April by Encircle Publications.

 

Here’s a preview:

Imagine a retirement home populated with residents such as an aging Hercule Poirot and a dementia-suffering Sherlock Holmes and run by staff including Art Doyle, Dash Hammett and Dot Sayers. In this light-hearted spoof of the mystery genre, every character is either a namesake of a person from the mystery writing world or a character from a mystery novel. On anything but a dark and stormy night, a dead body is found. The staff managers find themselves unable to control the unruly old detectives. Mix in clues and red herrings galore as the cast of suspects investigate each other. Hold on to your rockers as the top detectives of all time reunite at Old Detectives Home to solve their most difficult whodunit—but first without killing each other.

 

I’m also available to give presentations to book groups, libraries and service organizations via Zoom or in-person. Mikebef@aol.com

COVID in Elementary School

Our grandson is in first grade. There are two classes of first graders at his school. In the other class, the teacher is out with COVID this week, so there is a substitute teacher. In his class, one of the students tested positive, so our grandson came home with a rapid test kit. I swabbed the inside of his nose and waited the fifteen minutes. The good news: he tested negative. We’re supposed to test him again at the end of the week. I’m glad the school is taking precautions but staying open.

 

Edits for Old Detectives Home

My editor provided very constructive edit suggestions for my upcoming mystery novel, Old Detectives Home. One very useful change was to eliminate the redundancy of reviewing the clues too often, as this slowed the pace of the story. The story is much tighter now with the changes made.

Here’s a preview of Old Detectives Home, due out in April: Imagine a retirement home populated with residents such as an aging Hercule Poirot and a dementia-suffering Sherlock Holmes and run by staff including Art Doyle, Dash Hammett and Dot Sayers. In this light-hearted spoof of the mystery genre, every character is either a namesake of a person from the mystery writing world or a character from a mystery novel. On anything but a dark and stormy night, a dead body is found. The staff managers find themselves unable to control the unruly old detectives. Mix in clues and red herrings galore as the cast of suspects investigate each other to figure out who done it.