Annette Dashofy's Blog, page 6

Remember When Harry met Zoe?

Continuing this stroll down memory lane, I'm thinking back to the second book in the series.

Lost Legacy remains one of my favorites of all I've written. And this scene is one of my favorites from it. 

Pete tucked the phone into his pocket as Zoe and his father appeared in the doorway. She gave him a guilty grin.

Pete held up a hand. “I don’t want to know.”

“But—”

“You didn’t lose Pop. That’s the main thing.” In fact, his old man looked almost—perky.

Harry nudged Zoe. “Do I still get something to eat? I’m starved.”

“Sure. What’ll you have?”

“A milkshake. Chocolate.”

Pete snorted. “That’s not exactly a healthy lunch.”

Zoe planted her fists on her hips and narrowed her eyes at him. “It’s still too early for lunch. This is...brunch.”

Harry nodded in fervent agreement. “Yeah.”

“Chocolate milkshakes for brunch?”

Zoe dropped her stance and leaned down to Pete’s ear. “At his age, if he wants a milkshake, I’m buying him a frigging milkshake.”

Why is it one of my favorites? Simple. This scene was taken straight from my heart and my memories of my own dad. It makes me smile every time I read it.

Here's a tidbit you may not know. Harry was never supposed to appear in any other books. It was YOU, my readers, who hounded me into bringing him back. For that, I thank you. 

Remember when...

Two months from today, a new Zoe Chambers mystery, Fatal Reunion, will launch into the world! I'm currently working on the red line edits and have proclaimed I hate commas and hyphens. Thankfully, I have an editor who keeps me on track.

I'm eager to show off my cover art. However, I haven't seen it yet, so I'm waiting and trying to be patient...not my strong suit. 

So until I have cover art and pre-order links to share, I thought we could look back on the stories and characters that have brought Zoe and Pete to this point.

 

Remember when...

 

We first met Monongahela County Police Detective Wayne Baronick in Circle of Influence? 

 

Detective Wayne Baronick of the Monongahela County Police
Department grinned from the doorway. Young, good-looking, and
cocky, Baronick was a constant source of irritation to Pete. Most
annoying was the fact that he reminded Pete of someone. Himself.
“Relax, Chief. I come bearing gifts.” He held out a venti Starbucks. “I
know you can’t get these out here in the boondocks, so I brought one
from civilization.”
Baronick had always been good at sucking up, even as an overeager
cadet at the Pittsburgh Police Academy when Pete had taught the
crime scene processing module more than a decade ago. Now, as a
county detective, he not only irritated Pete with his ability to charm, but
by the fact he was a damned good—and extremely determined—
investigator.

 

As I've been working on Fatal Reunion, I've realized how much Wayne has grown since that first book...and how much his relationships with Pete and Zoe have evolved. 

 

What do you think of Wayne's development in the course of the series? Are there any other characters who have changed significantly in your opinion?

Death By Equine on AUDIO!

For all of my audiobook fans, it's finally here! Death by Equine is now available in audio! Once again the incredible Romy Nordlinger has given voice to my characters (yes, there's a reason Dr. Jessie Cameron sounds a lot like Zoe!).  

To purchase, you can click on the image to buy from Audible, or go to your favorite audiobook seller. 

Survivor: Ice Storm Edition

Having grown up in a farming family, it’s inbred in me to keep an eye on the weather forecast. When the meteorologists started posting maps showing my location solidly in the pink range (meaning freezing rain) of the upcoming storm, I took action. I always keep bottled drinking water (our well water isn’t fit for consumption), but I also started filling the empty jugs with tap water. I moved stuff from our refrigerator’s freezer section to the chest freezer in the basement. My husband made sure our generator was in good working order. I worked frantically on several writing projects that were almost due and sent them off. I also worked frantically on my tax prep and printed out my spreadsheets. I made sure all of my electronics were fully charged. 

My husband even took a vacation day on Friday in case the roads were impassible. 

I rescheduled a workshop I was supposed to teach Saturday on Zoom. Just in case. 

The rain started Wednesday. By lunchtime on Thursday, I noticed ice collecting on the shrub by my front porch.

The roads, at that point were clear. Hubby made it home from work with no problems Thursday evening. 

About 7:00 p.m., the power went out. But it came right back on. I hurried to brush my teeth, wash my face, and get into my jammies. 

At 8:00, the house fell dark and silent. I called on my cell to report it and was told by an automated voice that power would be restored by 11:00 p.m. that night. I knew they were lying. 

Our house is all-electric. ALL electric. So when the power goes out, we have nothing. No heat. No water. No stove. No phone. We went to bed. By 3 a.m., it started getting cold. Kensi wrapped herself around my head like a feline cap. I didn’t complain. 

Overnight, the rain turned to snow. 

Friday morning, Hubby set up the Big Buddy propane heater in the middle of our living room. It quickly took the chill off. He also fired up the generator, ran the wiring through the hole he’d long ago drilled in the floor of one of our kitchen cabinets. I connected a surge protector into which I plugged the fridge, our phone chargers, and my laptop. He ran a second power cord to the freezer in the basement. We sat around the heater and proclaimed we were camping. 

We used to love to go camping. 

This was not the same. 

Keep in mind, I was in limited contact with the outside world. Accessing the internet meant using my cell’s data plan. I subscribe to the lowest priced one available because most of the time, I’m on our home wi-fi. So every moment spent online was chewing through this month’s meager allotted data. 

Kensi, by the way, had fallen in love with the Big Buddy heater. Cats love warmth and Big Buddy was warm. But she’s not the brightest bulb in the box where an open flame is concerned. She would edge too close. I would snatch her away before her whiskers singed. We set her kitty cave close, but not too close, to the heater. She liked that. 

Friday night, I slept on the daybed next to the Big Buddy. Kensi slept with me until about 3 a.m. when even Big Buddy couldn’t completely battle the chill (8 degrees outside). She got down and plopped herself about six inches from the flame. From then until daylight, I had to keep removing her from the warmest spot in the house. 

I did not get much sleep. 

On Saturday, Hubby drove to town for more propane and gasoline and returned with reports of trees and lines down EVERYWHERE. A neighbor texted me that the power company estimated our service would be restored by 11 p.m. on SUNDAY. I sent out texts to let folks know I would not be participating in two other Zoom meetings. 

The hours ticked by. Hubby set up shop at the kitchen table and tied flies in anticipation of spring and fishing. I started writing a new book. I read. 

I cooked on our Coleman camp stove. We used paper plates and plastic spoons as much as possible because washing dishes involved heating water on the camp stove. Rinsing them meant using the bottled tap water I’d wisely collected. It’s just not a good set up. Workable, tolerable, yes. Good? Not so much. 

Hubby kept staring at the light over the kitchen table, willing it to come on. Even his recliner is electric. He kept punching the button to raise the footrest. It didn’t work. 

Saturday night was a repeat of Friday where Kensi and Big Buddy were concerned. I didn’t get much sleep again. 

By Sunday, the sun came out. The ice on the trees looked like blown glass and crystal. 

Despite the beauty outside, inside we were feeling pretty grungy. We’d been brushing our teeth, but outright bathing wasn’t an option. 

I figured the extra layer of dirt might help keep me warm. 

But Hubby had to go back to work on Monday, and they frown upon having their employees look and smell like a vagrant. We drove to my mother-in-law’s house to get hot baths. On the way, we passed SEVEN out-of-state power crew trucks working on our line! 

On our way home, we picked up sandwiches at Subway and again passed the repair crew. 

I should mention the conditions. They were working in a thicket of ice-encrusted overgrown brush and storm-flattened trees. Electric poles had snapped. Lines were down. It was COLD outside. I refuse to gripe about the time we had to “camp” in our living room. Well, at least the gripes aren’t aimed at the power company. It was a freakin’ disaster out there. 

Sunday evening, my neighbor texted me. The power company had robo-called her to announce repairs had been made and our power should have been restored. It hadn’t been. She let them know. Then she let me know. I may have cried a little. 

About an hour later, a check of the power company’s website stated our power should be back on by Monday, noon. Another neighbor who lives near the aforementioned thicket texted us that the crew was back at work. At least we hadn’t gone back to the bottom of the list. 

But we endured a fourth night with Big Buddy. A fourth night of minimal and very light sleep as I kept a close watch on Kensi. 

Monday, 4:00 a.m., every light in our house came on, my printers chirped to life in my office, our security system started talking to us. And the furnace started running.

 

I don’t think I’ve ever before jumped out of bed at that hour and started dancing. 

We survived. I got a good start on my next Zoe Chambers mystery. And I have a renewed appreciation for the 21st Century.

 

 

If your dreams do not scare you...

We had our first real snow of the season Friday morning. While regions to our south got hammered, our accumulation was minimal--an inch locally--just enough to be pretty. It is January, after all. This is Pennsylvania. We're supposed to get snow!

I busied myself with writing and self-care this first week of 2022, so I didn't have time to fuss over a little white stuff outside anyway. 

After a talk with my agent, we decided to set The Hit List aside. This was the second of two new series proposals we'd had out on submission last year. I'd already gone back to the first of the proposals anyway. That was the project I completed for NaNoWriMo. ("Completed" meaning very rough first draft.) I spent much of last week giving the first three chapters another polish and the entire manuscript a new title. I also updated the synopsis and sent the entire package back to my agent. She'll be sending Rule of Thirds out on its second round of submissions next week.

While it's being shopped around, I'm working on its second draft. This is the one that's set in Erie, PA. I'm excited about it and hoping to find a publisher who is equally excited. 

Also, I'm outlining the next Zoe Chambers mystery (the one that's scheduled for release in spring 2023). I'm not going to say much about it yet except to tell you I'm excited and terrified. It's going to challenge my writing skills in a big way. I keep thinking of Sidney Poitier, who passed away this week. He's credited with the quote, "If your dreams do not scare you, they aren't big enough." I need to print that out and post it above my computer because this book scares the heck out of me. 

I mentioned self-care. I've been exercising, doing yoga and weight training, and practicing restorative yoga. Every day this last week. Not all of them every day. But at least one of them. It's helping my sanity. And believe me, my sanity needs all the help it can get. 

Looking Ahead 2022

Happy New Year. 

I'm whispering the greeting for two reasons. One, I'm feeling a little trepidation, remembering how happy we were to see 2020 go and how quickly we realized nothing had changed. Two, I have laryngitis on the heels of a nasty cold (negative Covid test). 

Moving on to my goals (not resolutions) for the coming twelve months. Once again, there are things I can control and things I can only hope for. 

Under my control: 

1. Complete revisions on Fatal Reunion and celebrate its release this coming May! I am thrilled to bring Zoe and Pete back to my readers. 

2. Complete rewrite of my NaNoWriMo manuscript (as yet in search of a title) and get it back out on submission.

3. Outline, research, and write the 12th Zoe Chambers Mystery. 

4. Set up a mini book tour for this summer.

Hoping for:

1. Attend Malice Domestic. I'm more optimistic about this actually happening this year. As long as the fabulous people running the convention proceed with their plans, I will be there. 

2. Attend the Pennwriters Conference. Same comment as Malice. 

I hope and pray both of these events happen, not so much because I'm desperate to get together with my reader and writer friends (although this is VERY true), but because I know the financial hit both organizations took when the 2020 and 2021 events had to be canceled. 

On a personal level, I need to do a better job of managing my time. AND I need to do a better job of decluttering. In other words, I need to make time to declutter. 

There you have it. My very boring list for the coming year. 

My biggest wish, though is that all of us stay safe and healthy. 

Happy New Year.

Looking Back at 2021

At the beginning of the year, I posted what I was looking forward to in 2021. I included a mix of concrete goals (the stuff I had control over) and hopeful goals. In looking back at that post, I did pretty well on the concrete stuff. Less so with the rest. 

I managed to self-publish a novel and a short story collection. In the process, I've learned a lot. I also have a lot to learn on that front. Going forward, I don't have immediate plans to do any more self-publishing, but it's good to have that option available. 

I turned in the next Zoe Chambers mystery to my new publisher. And I completed a first draft of a manuscript I've been starting and stopping for a while. We don't have a contract for it yet, but at least that crappy first draft is DONE.

My fabulous agent managed to land an audio contract for Death By Equine as well as placing it on a couple of new reading platforms, KISS and Scream. 

As for the rest of my goals? The conferences I'd hoped to attend were all canceled. I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate in More Than Malice, a virtual conference that was NOT a virtual Malice Domestic, but a different breed entirely, put out there to help recoup some of the financial losses of two canceled Malice Domestics. 

I kept some pretty impressive company last July!

I also taught at the virtual Pennwriters Conference. 

Later in the year, the world opened up enough to allow me to do some in-person events. 

Interviewing pal Liz Milliron at her book launch
Keynote speaker at the Festival of Books
Introduced Craig Johnson at his Mystery Lovers Bookshop appearance

I'd forgotten how much I love seeing real people! 

On a personal note, my husband and I lost a couple of close friends, one to Covid, one to cancer, in 2021. 

So it's been two rocky years in a row. As this one ends, I can say I met my deadlines, had some great times, and can start 2022 with a clean slate. Check back tomorrow when I'll write about my goals and hopes for the New Year.  

Winding Down

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas. 

Ours was more low-key than usual. Hubby and I both have head colds. JUST head colds. I had been nowhere and seen no one else for weeks. He's been out in the world and came down with it first, so I know where I got it. He tested negative for Covid, so our doctor is comfortable that I'm also negative. How I miss the days when a cold was JUST a cold. And I am immensely grateful that such is the case right now, even as I sniffle and blow my nose forty times a day.

Anyhow, we stayed holed up yesterday to keep our Just Cold germs to ourselves. 

I'm happy to announce I met my writing goals and deadlines for the year. Having this week between Christmas and New Year "free" was a goal in itself. I have a dozen or so videos on police procedure to watch in order to finish a couple of online courses I'd signed up for. This week is for that. 

It's also for winding down and reflecting on 2021. For making plans and new goals for 2022. 

And yes, for taking care of myself so I can get over this danged head cold. 

By the way, do you subscribe to my newsletter? If you do and haven't opened the one I just sent, go find it in your inbox and check it out. I have posted a new short story on my website and it's FREE for my subscribers! The password to access the SUBSCRIBERS ONLY page is in the newsletter. 

If you aren't a subscriber, you aren't outta luck. Go to my website now and fill out the subscribe form (it's on every page). The welcome email you'll receive also contains the password. 

This year's short story is titled "A Calico Christmas" and features Abby and Wayne Baronick and their parents as Seth joins Abby for a family Christmas Eve that doesn't go quite as planned. 

Progress!

After a whirlwind November, I'm finally at a place where I can catch my breath just in time for the holidays. 

After doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) last year for the first time, I'd sworn I would never do it again. True, it had allowed me to complete my first draft of the next Zoe Chambers mystery, but I hadn't needed the "goal" number of 50,000 words to do that. 50K in 30 days is sheer madness. At least it is for my personal process. 

However, as I wrote back in June, I had abandoned a manuscript that wasn't selling to start something else. The Something Else hasn't sold either, and the characters from the first of those manuscripts were clambering to have their stories told. So I signed up for NaNoWriMo 2021 with abandoned manuscript #1 as my project. I'm thrilled to report that a.) I topped my 50K goal within the month of November and b.) I completed the rest of the first draft within the first week of December. Typing THE END is such a sweet moment for every writer. 

In the midst of NaNo, I received my first edits back on Fatal Reunion (Zoe Chambers #11). Celebration! They were minimal! Once my NaNo project was finished, I tackled those and sent the revised manuscript back to my editor. 

Two major projects off my plate for the moment!

That left my annual Christmas short story. 

In case you aren't aware, every Christmas Eve, I post a new short story on the Subscribers Only page of my website and send the password in my newsletter. The only way you can access the FREE short story is to be a subscriber. If you haven't signed up yet, go to my website and fill in your name and email. If you do it before this Christmas Eve, you'll still get the password for last year's story, which will be there until I replace it with the new one.

(If you've missed all the previous short stories, I've put them together as a collection titled Crime in the Country. It's available on Amazon for Kindle, Barnes & Noble for print and Nook, AND signed copies are available from Mystery Lovers Bookshop. You can also click HERE to find it on other ebook platforms.) 

So from now until the end of the month (YEAR!) I'm doing some minor rewriting on the NaNo project (mostly, I'm letting it sit and simmer a while) and catching up on my reading. Wishing you all a happy holiday season and some time to breathe and rest up as well. 

Books and TV

Last weekend...and the start of this week...have been sheer madness. Some good, some bad, heavier on the good.

The week ended with the sudden and unexplained death of our ancient TV. On the other hand, I guess the mere fact that it was ancient makes its demise explainable. The bad part was the timing. It seems smaller televisions are a rare commodity these days thanks to distribution chain issues. Normally, I'd research online, make a decision, and click BUY. 

I will say, having no TV resulted in a couple of productive days. It also made for a grumpy and bored husband. By Saturday night, I'd tracked down what had to be the only set matching my criteria within several hundred miles. I clicked BUY along with the option to pick it up the next day. (Seeing the words "last one in stock" tends to nudge me to stop researching and show them the money.)

Sunday morning, my no longer grumpy and bored husband and I drove to Oakmont PA and Mystery Lovers Bookshop to attend a personal appearance by Craig Johnson. I make no secret about the fact he's one of my favorite authors. I might even be slightly guilty of stalking the man, having traveled to Cincinnati, Erie, and even Green Bay, Wisconsin to hear him speak. (In my own defense, I was going to be in Green Bay anyway.) You better believe I would be there when I only had to drive an hour. 

Plus, I'd been given the honor of introducing him to the hometown crowd. 

Craig has a gift for storytelling. If you haven't read any of his Longmire books, start with The Cold Dish. This year's release, Daughter of the Morning Star, is one of my favorites of the entire series. Still, start at the beginning. If you're like me, you'll binge-read your way through the first sixteen books. 

After the event and after hanging out at the bookstore with Craig and his wife, Judy, for a while, we headed toward home with a stop at Target to pick up our new TV. While there, I received an email from my new editor at my new publisher. Although the new Zoe Chambers mystery wasn't due to them until later this month, she had time in her schedule NOW. Thankfully, it was "ready." I'd been tinkering with it and would continue to do so until the very last minute, so the request saved me from myself. 

Yes, the eleventh Zoe Chambers is officially in the publishing pipeline.

Back home, with the manuscript sent off to Level Best Books, we started setting up the TV. Or trying to. I like to think I'm moderately tech-savvy where these things are concerned. I could get it to stream Prime, but couldn't get it to connect to either the cable box or the DVD player. We called over my grandnephew who is not only tech-savvy but is young. Something about that combination usually helps in these cases. 

Not this time. He was stymied as well. I felt a little better about myself. But nervous about the prospect of the last set in stock meeting my criteria having to be returned.

We watched Leverage: Redemption on Prime. Not a bad way to spend a Sunday evening.

Monday, I called our cable company's tech support. I listened to the clatter of computer keys as the tech guy tried to solve my problem. I'd already done everything he recommended. He was stumped and said he'd send someone out. 

Now here's the joy of having a small-town cable company located four miles away. Two young tech-savvy guys showed up at my door a couple hours later. I never got that from Verizon.

I got the impression that one of the tech guys was less savvy and was in training. But the savvy one got to work. Within a minute, he'd synced the cable box's remote control with the new set. I'd have never figured that one out, so YAY. But when it came to getting the set and box to talk to each other, nothing. He sat on my floor and said, "Huh." This is not a good sound coming from the tech-savvy cable guy. 

It took some puzzling and switching of cables (I'd already done that at least three times) and switching them back, but suddenly, the picture and sound were there! "What'd you do?" I asked.

He'd unplugged it and plugged it back in.

Duh.

I had done that. But I hadn't left it unplugged long enough. I learned something Monday afternoon. Leave electronics unplugged for at least a minute before plugging them back in. 

We have a functioning new TV. I still worry every time I turn it off. Will it come back on? But so far so good.