Drowning my thoughts out with sounds

I'm back from Florida! Well, I've been back for a couple of days, but you know how it goes when you're trying to unpack, do laundry, file receipts, and all that jazz. It was a great trip, made easier and better by one of my cousins, Jackie - who put me up at her place for the duration of my stay.

So what was the stay about? It was about Brimstone - a novel I need to write (almost in its entirety) before March 1. I pitched Brimstone as, one part Penny Dreadful and one part American Horror Story, with a splash of tragic romance and a fabulous retro setting. This is the tale of a shell-shocked WWI veteran, a young spiritualist, and the ghost of a vengeful Inquisitor who still has a taste for burning witches.

And it is largely set in Cassadaga, Florida. If you click that link and you wonder if my new tattoo was a deliberate nod, then no - it wasn't. It was ... pure coincidence. I guess.

Anyway, I'd gone past the place a hundred times when I was a kid, but I'd never actually been there for the sake of looking around. It was delightful. Nice people, pretty little community, and a lovely hotel that boasts a very nice restaurant. Jackie and I had a blast. (Yes, I asked permission to take pics inside.) (No, I won't bore you with a thousand vacay shots. Just a few.) (Yes, foxiness DOES run in the family... ;-) )




(The "Devil's Chair" - mwooohahaha. Actually, it's just a brick seat created
for a grieving mother who visited her young son's grave every day. But hey, that's
not a scary story, so that's not the one that people like to repeat.)











Many thanks to Jackie and Jason for the hospitality, and the nice folks in Cassadaga for the easy-going welcome. I have returned home with books, notes, and (many more) pictures to remind and inform me over the next couple of months.

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In dog news, Greyson and Luna had another playdate and it was adorable. It's always adorable. We're always happy to have Luna and her mom (Samantha) come over for the afternoon.





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In cat news, the girls got a new kitty condo. Spain the Cat was having trouble scaling the old one, and it was getting pretty ratty anyway. (It's this one. I left a review.) Quinn is a big fan.





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Anyway, now you're all caught up! Tomorrow will be spent on the weekly house-keeping, and possibly some yard work before it gets too damn cold to take a crack at it. I need to do some weeding and maintenance work before the world freezes over in another couple of weeks, and one of my neighbors has offered to dig up some overenthusiastic flowers that I don't want - because he wants to use them. More power to him, I say.

My point is, word metrics and (near)daily blog posts will resume shortly. Maybe even this week. IT COULD HAPPEN. Wish me luck...