It’s late and I am tired. I took most of the day off Nano. Hung out with my kiddo since he didn’t have coop today. Then tonight I went out to Cinebarre with a couple of girlfriends for Bond and Booze. That’s James Bond to you. LOL

I think I ruined my eye for Bond films, though. All I could do was catch the mistakes they made. Too much research for my spy novel I guess. shrug. Oh well.

Words: 296

Time: 15 minutes.

Total: 34296

Est Comp Date: Dec 4 (1963 a day to finish on time)

Oh dear, I really shouldn’t have taken today off but I am having such trouble giving a bleep right now. LOL. Excerpt and new character tomorrow. I think.

This is the last thing on my to do list tonight. I’m listening to my hubby and son play chess. The hubby is up two games to nothing. LOL. I’ve just finished a painting I promised my son I would do by Christmas, so go me. When I get done typing this update I will go play cribbage with the hubby and son. I like winter evenings.

Words today: 1921

Time spent: 3 hours at write in but I swear 2/3 of that was chit chat. MY brain just would not focus on writing.

Total Words: 34000 (nice round number)

Estimated completion: Dec 3 (1778 a day to finish on time)

No excerpt today. It was clunky bizarre writing.  But tomorrow I will have a new character for you. evil laughter….

My days seem to be going by faster. I think it comes back to how busy things have been. I had business to attend to with the hubby this morning and then off to the write in. It was a small attendance today which made all the easier for a chatty member to keep the focus off writing for the majority of the time. sigh. Then lunch, where S and I worked out the over arching plan for the Nano to Publish Workshop Seminar series we are doing next year. Yes, that’s right. A monthly workshop where we will help people with some sort of completed manuscript get themselves through the gauntlet to self-published by the end of the year. Pretty exciting stuff.

Then off to Costco where the topic of the day was a apparently my hair. Thirty minutes inside the store and 6 separate comments on the color. Wow.

Back home to host pizza dinner and movie night for three of my son’s friends.

Words written: 1932

Time Spent: 30 at write in, 30 more while the kiddos watched Scooby Doo 2.

Total Words: 32079

Estimated Comp: Dec 3. (1793 a day to finish on time)

Excerpt:

Witlow was holding out a file folder. “Have you seen the autopsy report yet?”
“Not the full one, no. But I met with the medical examiner.”
“You might want to look at this.”
His brows furrowed, Spence set down his interrogation notes and took the report. He scanned along through the findings he already knew about. Then he paused. Livor mortis demonstrated the body had been on it’s side in a semi fetal position from time of death long enough for the blood to settle on the right side. Harold Paulson had been moved. That was pretty much a given already. Spence scanned on. The final toxocology was in, but he already knew about the Rohypnol. The medical examiner listed the cause of death as homocide. Spence looked up, “What? I don’t see anything new that’s probative let alone earth shattering.”
“Notice the lack of injuries to the heels.”
“Yeah.”
Witlow stared at him for a long moment.
“He wasn’t dragged.” Spence grinned maniacally. “Someone carried his body. Someone strong.”
“Or used something to transport him in.” Witlow added.
Spence’s smiled faded just a touch.
“But either way, we are looking for someone strong. How big is your girl?”
Spence tilted his head as considered. “Five three maybe. Curvy rather than thin. How big is Paulson again?” Flipping open the autopsy report he checked Paulson’s stats. “Five eleven, one seventy.”
“Probably too much for Tess unless she’s hiding a body builders body.”
Spence nodded and his smile returned.
“Ok now that we’ve saved your love life, how does that limit our possible suspect pool?”
“My guess is most of the women are technically out unless it’s a husband and wife team situation.”
“A partnership is complicated though. Two can keep a secret if one of them is dead.” Barnes added unexpectedly.
Spence stopped mid action and turned to Barnes. “Is that the answer right there? Two of them were keeping a secret and now one of them is dead?”
“You mean Paulson’s partner killed him to end the search for the embezzled money?” Witlow was right there with Spence.

Oof. It was such a good day in so many ways. Legos, hot tub, long walk with the dog. But one of those days as well where every time I thought to myself I could carve out ten minutes right now to write, opened scrivner, and typed three words my kiddo declared he needed mommy. Whack my forehead into a brick wall. So it’s later than I like to be trying to compose words that make sense as I try to squeeze in a day’s word count. shrug. oh well. Tomorrow is another write in day. A day even better where I get to leave my kiddo behind with the hubby and ride off into the sunset with my laptop for a few hours. If previous weekends have been any guide I should squeak out a few thousand words tomorrow.

On the plus side, on Nano today I saw this little link that said, “You are 60% more likely to finish if you have a cover for your book.” So while kiddo was doing his subtraction, I had a quick google and found this.  Very naughty, very amusing, very much the way I would like my book to be described. LOL

Words today: 960

Time Spent writing: 45 minutes mostly in one minute increments. LOL

Total Words: 30,147

Estimated Completion Date: Dec 4th. Well at least I’ll be done by the TGIO party?

Words per day to finish on time 1805. Seems doable.

Of course 1667 seemed doable too and that has proved elusive. My current average daily word count is 1507. Oops.

Today I am channeling Churchill. If you’re going through hell, keep going. Yes, I know he didn’t actually say this but it’s damn good and Churchill was a master of pithy imaginative sayings. So let’s chalk another one up to him and call it good job.

Got two new Nanos at the morning write in. It was so exciting. Got to meet another SnoValley member that I didn’t know. Got to talk to new people about what they are writing and how it is going for them. I tried to block out the woman who is already at 41K. LOL.

Words Today: 2399

Time Spent: about an hour and a half at the write in and maybe 20-30 minutes more while the kiddo was in parkour.

Total Words: 29187

Estimated Completion Date: Dec 3

Excerpt:

Wednesday morning I decided to call the detective first thing. I hadn’t heard from him since he left my house so abruptly Monday night. Maybe it was time to cook for him again. I dialed his office at seven thirty and then again at eight. He answered on the second ring.
“My name is amicus curaie.” I tried to make my voice mysterious.
“You’re a friend of the court?” I could hear Spence trying not to laugh.
“More like a friend to the investigation.” I adjusted.
“Tess, next time you want to make an anonymous call, don’t do it from your cell phone with your caller ID unblocked.”
“Oh, damn.”
“Oh, damn, indeed. I thought we agreed you were going to stop poking into other people’s business.”
“We did but-”
“No buts. This is a dangerous game you are playing. I wouldn’t want to see anything happen to you.”
“Thank you and I know.”
“Alright then . Have a good day and keep out of this investigation.”
“Did you know the country club is missing a ton of money from their account and the Arlene Paulson is refusing to give them Harold’s paperwork as the treasurer of the country club?” I blurted, desperate to keep him on the phone.
“What?”
I slowed down. “The country club is missing a lot of money. The board asked Arlene Paulson for the paperwork Harold kept as treasurer and she wouldn’t give it up.”
“How did you come by this information?”
“I read Magda’s emails while I was there yesterday dropping off dinner.”
“Tess! You have got to stay out of this.” His voice was angry and there was a little something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“I can’t help it. Opportunities keep presenting themselves to me.”
“So Magda’s laptop just fell into your lap and begged to be read?”
I laughed. “Come on.”
“Tess, where were you last Wednesday night from six o’clock on wards?” Spence’s voice was all hard business now.
“At home. Why?”
“Were you alone?”
The penny dropped. “Are you asking me for an alibi?”
“I am. Were you alone?”
“Yes. I was alone the next morning too when I found the body.”
“I know it’s frustrating but it’s procedure.”
“I don’t understand how you can think I am a suspect.”
“You found the body. You keep inserting yourself into the investigation. You live in a rich area with little visible means of support. Money is missing. For all I know you cook for your victims, drug them, kill them, and rob them.”
He was so matter of fact, so cold. I hung up the phone. I was a suspect in a murder investigation. And a serial murder investigation at that. There was only one thing to be done in a situation like this. I booted up my laptop and started writing a new chapter.

 

 

You may have noticed I haven’t been posting everyday this Nano. Last year I felt committed to that daily schedule. On days where words were elusive I found myself making 500 word posts defending my lack of progress on my Nano Novel. I decided to skip that insanity this year. If I don’t write, I don’t post. And I ain’t feeling guilty about it either.

I seem to be suffering from middle of the month slump. I am just not feeling it this year. Maybe it’s just that my main character has yet to make me feel compelled by her plight. I felt for Molly last year. I liked her, I liked her a lot. Tess, she’s maybe too close to me for me to embrace completely.

Ok That got a little more serious that I meant it to. But I just realized, this time last year my kiddo was still in school. I had almost four hours to myself each weekday. This year not only do I not have that time but instead I am teaching him, and creating curriculum, and sourcing materials, and crying into my ice tea. I need a vacation from Nano. Can I come back and finish my other 25K in December? LOL

Words Written Today: 1779

Time Spent: 3 hours

Total Words: 26788

Estimated Completion Date: Dec 4th

Excerpt:

He needed to talk to Tom.
Claiming his motorcycle from the lot he drove the long way out to their favorite lakeside diner. It was practically empty after ten on a week day. He ordered a cup of coffee and then stepped to the back by the restrooms noting with a wry smile the sign that said “men’s room to the left, because woman are always right.” He stepped around the corner to use what had to be the last working pay phone in the state. “It’s me. The usual place.”
“The usual order.” Tom hung up.
Spence returned to his table and doctored his coffee with the real cream the diner served. It was an odd combination of dive diner and local fresh cuisine. The food was real food, not frozen container truck imported plastic.
Tiffy wandered over, “Not used to seeing you on a weekend day honey.”
Spence smiled. “Sometimes you just need a good food.”
Tiffy grinned, “I hear that. What can I get you?”
“Corned beef hash and eggs, over easy, and make it two.”
“Tom coming in then?”
Spence nodded.
“It’s been an age since I’ve seen him.” Tiff stated with just a hint of question.
“He was rather occupied lately.”
“Ahh, a woman.” Tiffy shook her head. “He never brought her here, she can’t have been much good for him.”
Spence couldn’t help but laugh out loud, “You have no idea how right you are doll.”
“Get you the paper to read while you wait?”
“Thanks. Appreciate it.”
Spence sipped his coffee and stared out the window trying not to think too much about Tess as a murder. Tiffy slipped the paper onto the edge of his table and kept on walking without disturbing his thought process. Spence slid a mindless hand over to to take the folded package and cracked it open to scan the front page. Blaring across the entire front was an article by Stephanie Lewis on the latest in the Dismember Killer case, Harold Paulson. She identified him by name, it had been enough days that information was common knowledge. She was reporting the death as a drowning still. On one hand Spence liked that she wasn’t getting any inside information. On the other hand, it was strengthening the case against Tom being the leak. Stephanie Lewis lingered in her reporting on the more salacious aspects on the murder. What the hell had Tom seen in her? Blond hair, long legs. Spence shook his head. He needed to be on alert to avoid finding himself in a similar predicament.
Tiffy delivered their meals complete with the thick homemade bread and fresh jam that accompanied every breakfast. Spence picked up his fork as was on the verge of pricking his eggs to allow the yolks to soak into the corned beef, when Tom slid into the booth across from him. “I see your manners are in top form.”
“Letting this food get cold would be a crime against humanity. Poor manners be damned.” Spence quipped.
“Missed you man.”
“Ditto.”
They were silent for a moment as Tiffy delivered a cup and filled it with coffee for Tom and topped off Spence. Then a few more minutes went by as they tucked in.
Finally with a sigh, Spence slid his plate slightly back and picked up his knife to spread jam on his toast. “I’ve got issues.”
“Tell me something new. I’ve known that for years.” Tom snarked at Spence with affection.

Character Sketch: Tom Southby

Detective Spence Thomas’ partner and best friend. Currently on administrative leave pending an investigation into  information that was leaked to his reporter girlfriend. He knows the investigation will go against him. The process is putting a strain on their friendship.

Good afternoon! I know it’s super early to be posting this but I just got home from a write in, so I won;t be writing this afternoon (husband and child need time) and I have plans to go out tonight, so likely nothing further will get added today.

Despite being beyond tired from last night’s event and my husband’s pager going off twice in the night (I hate on call as much as he does), I got some words written today. Some of them even make sense. LOL.

Words Written Today: 2196

Time Spent: 2 hours give or take a chat or two

Total Words: 23624

Estimated Completion Date : November 30th.

Did you notice I’m back on track? Yeah, Team Me! Ok so I a the only one writing this novel but everyone who lets me pester them with questions, shows up to write ins to encourage me, and lends me such interesting character traits to modify for my own uses is part of team me. If I forgot you in the above list, ask yourself if you are actually participating in my life. LOL

Excerpt:

I let a tear roll out of my eye and down my cheek. “Oh god. And now I’m leaking like a whiny girl.”
“Sometimes leaking like a whiny girl is good for the soul.” Quinn placed a hand on mine and gave me a gentle squeeze.
“I had Spence, Detective Thomas over for dinner last night.”
“Tess, you bad, bad girl. I thought you liked him the way you talked about him after the, well the mess at the club. How did it go?”
“Not good. I mean I think it was going well at first. We kind of had a little argument about me trying to get information about the investigation and how I should really just stay out of it which lead to us kissing.”
“How was it?”
“Amazing. But then he got a call from the medical examiner and just left, so abruptly.”
“Oh.” Quinn drew out the word to express so much more than a simple letter sound.
“I know. And on top of all that I think my clients are avoiding me. Like somehow I’m tainted with Harold Paulson’s dead body.”
“Oh.” Now the sound conveyed horror. “That’s so not ok. Why do you think that?”
“It’s Tuesday, no one has had me in to make breakfast yet this week and I have no bookings for later this week and I’m only cooking two drop off for this afternoon. That’s maybe a third my normal volume.”
“Oh dear.”
“I know.”
“Well that does give you more time to write and maybe by the time Nano is over they will have solved the murder and you won’t be under a cloud.”
I nodded my head from side to side considering what she was saying. “I might not ever get out from under this though. What if they don’t find the killer? Or worse, what if they do and people still don’t want food from a woman who found and touched a dead body?”
Quinn said nothing for a moment. After a long drought from her morning nectar she took a deep breath and said very carefully, “Maybe this is a sign that’s its time for you to move on from this holding pattern you’ve been operating in for years.”
“This is not a holding pattern, this is my life, Quinn.” I was angry now as I rarely was with her.

Ooof. Just got home from “Nanorama November Night Fever”, our Disco themed costume dinner party write in. Yes that was a lot of words but hey this is Nano month, the more words the better.

It was a good night. We played fun games and it turns out I know the titles of way more Disco tunes that I should given when I was born. LOL. I won a Disco duckling which I got to add to my epic duck collection.

But it’s late and I desperately need to go wash all this glitter eye liner off my face, so I will cut right to the chase.

Words: 2943 ( I really wanted 3K but alas)

Time: 5-10 PM minus dinner, games, and chatting.

Total: 21, 428

Estimated completion: Dec 1 – improving again.

Excerpt: (In case it might amuse you-the basis for this conversation was actually one I had with my husband, so chew on that. LOL)

I set my bag down and dialed Quinn on my cell phone.
“Hey sweetheart. How are you? How’s your word count?”
“Fine. Fine. But I have a problem.”
“Shoot.”
“My main character had blackmailed the detective into coming to her place for dinner and I don’t know what she should wear.”
Quinn started laughing. “That’s quite the problem. Does it really matter at this point? Just put something in there for now as a place holder and you can worry over it later, after Nano.”
Crap, this was not going well. “I don’t know if I can do that. I’m not sure that’s my process.”
Quinn laughed heartily. “You already have a process? This is your first Nano.”
“Just give me some damn suggestions.” I got a little short in my tone.
“I’m sorry honey. I didn’t mean to upset you. You can’t wrong with jeans and a tee shirt.”
“Isn’t that a little casual.”
“A pair of good fitting jeans and a clingy tee shirt is sexy while still being approachable.”
“Really? I never thought of it that way.”
“Oh, absolutely.”
“Huh.”

words: 1473

time: 1 hour at write in

total:18485

Comp date: Dec 3.

Bleh. Bed.