Every now and again I have things I want to talk about, but none of them are long enough to fill an entire blog post. I usually set them aside until I can string a few of them together to create one of these quirky, Andy Rooney-style updates that spans practically anything you can think of…
The mug pictured above was one I found at Disneyland a few weeks back during my birthday trip with my friend. I suppose the saying on the side is more apropos for him than me, since I generally am disinclined to stake out a position along Main Street to watch the show — however spectacular it might be. Before you think ill of me and/or want to revoke my Disney fandom credentials, I have managed to do it at least three times; while each show was fantastic, the incredible throng of people all heading to the exits at the same moment has ensured I’ve spaced out the experience over the course of a few years…
Speaking of Disneyland, I somehow managed to lose my MagicBand between rides; I was majorly bummed as it was something I had bought with my wife when we were there in January celebrating our anniversary — so it carried a special significance. I was able to track down a replacement version, but had written off ever seeing the original again… until the night I returned to Tucson from Anaheim. That was when I received an email from the park — not only had my MagicBand been found, Disneyland had been able to connect it to my guest account and was prepping to mail it back to me. Now that is outstanding guest service…
I completed work on the latest Sean Colbeth novel this past August and have set it aside for a bit so I can do the final edits on the next release for Vasily, Requiem, due out in November. It took far longer than normal for me to get to the final page on Solitude; partly that was due to enforced downtime from COVID, but I also wasn’t as able to carve out time to write the way I have in the past. Overall, though, I like the story that came out, though I do plan on making some adjustments when I tackle the first revision. One thing that didn’t make the cut? I’d originally considered inserting the characters from my fantasy mystery into this story, although without the supernatural/magical aspect. It was something of a tacit admission that I might never finish that original manuscript, but as I neared the end of the book, I realized I’m not quite ready to give up on that idea and edited them out of the first draft.
What would you think about a Christmas-themed short story featuring my characters? I’ve been tossing around this notion of doing a small tale that might simply be a relationship-based vignette, either with Sean and Suzanne or Vas and Alejandro. Pure, unadulterated romantic fluff with a touch of comedy just for good measure — a nice palate cleanser, perhaps, before we dip into the decidedly broody novels that will be published in 2024. Let me know what you think by voting in this little poll:
Sean/Suzanne Christmas Cozy:
Vasily/Alejandro Christmas Cozy:
Depending on how well this goes, it might become an annual event.
Jimmy Buffet passed away earlier this month. I first encountered him back in the 1990s when he did a series of duets with some of the top Country artists of that decade, and then discovered his internet-only Margaritaville Radio; it didn’t take long for me to get hooked on the laid back island lifestyle that seemed to infuse everything he did. While I don’t consider myself enough of a fan to be called a Parrothead, I like to think I am Parrothead-adjacent… enough that I will sorely miss him. I’ll be sure to lift a house special to him next time I am in Orlando.
November is just around the corner, so that means I’m already sorting through ideas for my next novel. Vasily is up next in the rotation, which is good timing: since I’m editing Requiem at the moment, his voice will be fresh in my mind when I sit back down to spin out a new tale for him. I’ve come to enjoy ping-ponging between Sean and Vasily; they are such unique characters — no, people — that any chance I get to work with them is a good one.
All right, that’s it for now! Thanks for letting me ramble. 🙂
Comments
4 responses to “Potpourri, September 2023 Edition”
I vote for Sean and Suzanne. 😉
A nice cozy Christmas in Maine between those two? That’s a possibility. 🙂
I’d gladly read either but if I have to choose one couple it would be Vasily/Alejandro.
[…] mentioned in an earlier post that I was thinking about writing some Christmas-themed stories for my characters that would be available in December. I’ve become enamored with the idea of […]