The Waiting Game

Right now I feel like the reader of a slow-burning crime novel where not much happens at the beginning but the suspense gradually builds up and one expects something horrible to happen soon.
I am staying in a remote village in Northern Newfoundland and I have told many people how bad the winter is there, how brutal the storms, how cold the air coming down from the Arctic. Elaborating on the dangers, I felt almost heroic for the things I would have to endure. But so far the winter has been very bearable, sometimes even mild, with lots of rain instead of snow.
It doesn`t mean, of course, that the situation cannot change soon and that things will be really rough and scary. The unknown kills me.
I am also waiting for the feedback from my beta readers who are going through my latest German novel right now. They are the first humans to have laid eyes on this novel (except me). Will they like the book? Will they give a thumbs up or down? It is nerve-racking and - in contrast to the winter weather in Northern Newfoundland - I cannot protect myself with Arctic clothing and snowmobile helmets.
The only comfort is that virtually all authors go through the same dreaded waiting game. If my novel gets the approval from my beta readers, I will gladly endure whatever the next winter months will bring.
And if you like to play the waiting game, too: the translation of my next English crime novel is almost finished. Publication is planned for May. Stay tuned.