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Morning, and a little sleep helps brighten the mood. Thanks for people who wrote in and suggested we try local watering holes to find the charm. We had already discovered the local coffee house. Excellent coffee. When Jon and are home, we’ll get to blog about all the actual cool places we’ve seen, but for now, mum’s the word.
Thanks to the people who have recognized us, and not gotten on the internet and outted where we are. We really appreciate that. Thanks for just being cool, talking quietly to us, and letting us go our way. Those that just nodded and and got that little twinkle in your eye, hey to you, too, and thanks.
We have a great view this morning. It’s sunny, cold, but not too cold. We’re off to drive the routes, and see the sights, and see if we can get a tour of a few places. Then back to our main city for this research. I finally think I understand what John Grisham meant when he said in interviews that he picked a city he wanted to visit then set a book there. When I first heard it, I thought, how cold blooded, how un-muse-driven, but now I think I understand.
I came into a city and it wasn’t Jason’s home town, at all. Totally different than I thought, so Jon and I had to drive out and find that town. But the originally city we stopped in has given me an idea. A completely new idea for Anita. It’s a zombie idea. It might even have both Manny and Larry coming in to back her up. How cool is that? If we had not gotten into the ‘wrong’ city, stayed in the ‘wrong’ hotel room, in that mess, the idea wouldn’t have found me. Proof that two wrongs can indeed make a right.
I think I understand that Grisham meant he was confident enough that whatever city he landed in, if he’d done some preliminary research, that his muse and he would find a story to put there. For the first time, ever, I get that. My imaginary friends and I play well enough together that we can find friends anywhere. Almost anywhere. There are always exceptions.
This is a working trip. I’m finalizing stuff for BLOOD NOIR, and I’ll be laying the ground work for another different book. But in between the work, I’ve also been able to relax some. In fact, if the trip had gone according to plan I probably wouldn’t have relaxed as much, just worked more. Because so much didn’t go right, I had to adapt, improvise, and finally overcome. Charles was the one who gave me the Marine motto, when I was being all gloomy about my plans going awry. Adapt, improvise, overcome. Or, at the very least, enjoy yourself. (No, Charles is not ex-marine, he’s ex-army.)
Adapting to change is not my best thing, but I’m working at it. This morning Jon’s breakfast came, but not mine. I didn’t freak, or even have a moment’s pause, it seems par for the course on this trip. They had given us two tea’s, so I told him, “Eat, I’ll drink my tea while it’s hot and look out at the mountains.” Which is exactly what I did. Breakfast came, I got to eat, it was all good. If the fact that I didn’t let that small thing ruin my mood seems like, well, of course, then you don’t know anyone as high strung as I am. Moody, uncompromising, perfectionistic to the point of driving everyone around me to their best efforst, or else. But I’m learning to let it go a little.
I realized that the last time I took this much time off from actual writing, and my actual life, was over twenty years ago. Before Jon, before Trinity, before I actually sold anything as a writer. Work-aholoic, who me?