10.13.13

Y'all know I am not a fan of being scared. I am also not a fan of being in dark tunnels beneath cities, three floors of thick stone away from fresh air. But because my SIL is braver than I, off on a ghost tour we went tonight. It was fitting weather, rainy and cold (the new coat worked wonderfully, thanks) and after a few good above ground stories of death and dismemberment -- exploding tongues, anyone? -- into the vaults we went. Dark. Damp. Stinking of mold and rot and God knows what else. And there, we saw a ghost. At least, my iPhone saw a ghost. It's a creepy as hell shot, like a face in the dark. I was very happy to get out of there.

Holyroodhouse Palace today, plus a march up the Royal Mile. My calves are screaming, and according to my Fitbit, I've done 13,513 steps, which is almost 6 1/2 miles. Not bad, considering most of it was uphill.

No great food to report today, but I plan to remedy that tomorrow. We're off to Inverness, to the Highlands, and I plan to wallow in cod and cottage pie.

Slàinte! 

10.12.13

Ah, Edinburgh. It never fails to show off - from the rainy mist to the cobblestone streets to the store after store full of gorgeous cashmere. And coats. Thank all that's holy, they sell coats. Someone - we aren't naming names here - decided a fleece was more than sufficient for a mild Scottish October. And it would have been, if Scotland had decided to stay mild. Instead, the winter winds roared in like a lion today, and someone was forced to go coat shopping. But don't feel too bad, someone found a lovely jacket she's in love with.

There's been fish and chips consumed, and cottage pie, and scones. And wine. And Scotch. Castles stormed, and streets walked; churches reverently visited, and pubs frequented. 

And that's just in the first day! 

We're safe and sound and happy, and I sent in the AAs for WHEN SHADOWS FALL, so that's novel the 13th gone to production. All in all, a good start to the week. 

And regarding the romance that seems to follow us about? We were at Edinburgh Castle, and up rolls a Rolls, and out pops a lovely bride, followed by a piper. It's strange, no matter where Randy and I go, we stumble upon a wedding. 

Slàinte! 

10.10.13

I’m somewhere over Toronto right now, and the plane doesn’t have wifi, which is a bit of a shock, considering the length of the flight. No big deal for me, I have to work, and wifi is a distraction, but I was hoping to post this blog tonight (last night? Not sure what day it is where you are!) Alas, it is not meant to be.

Listening to Beethoven’s Symphony in D Minor whilst working on the AAs, very inspirational music. I was hoping to be done by now, but this stage of the process is so nitpicky. I put a comma in. I take a comma out. It’s the very last chance I have to see the book before y’all do, so I want things to be perfect. And the people next to me are looking at me funny because I’m reading it aloud – under my breath, of course, but my lips are moving.

We switched seats with a woman and I think we’ve made a love connection with her new seatmate. Wouldn’t that be a hoot? Karma, chance, whatever you call it – the two of them have hit it off and seem quite taken with each other. In Finnish. Cute.

So I’ll sign off now, and post this when we land.

Sweet dreams!

10.9.13

What is it about trips? Suddenly nothing you have is absolutely perfect and you end up with a new wardrobe, new jackets, new shoes... and I am the worst about this.

Which is the vehicle for admitting I caved and bought a pair of Merrell waterproof boots. The Wellies I bought are simply too hot for all day wear, and look silly in restaurants, and take up a LOT of room in my carryon. Waterproofing my beloved nubuck boots was an option. And of course, there's the motorcycle boots that looks so fantastic with jeans... Yeah. I'm a boot whore. There. I said it.

But the Merrells are super stylish and waterproof, all in a gray leather boot with an unbelievably cushy footbed. And I didn't have gray leather boots. Gray suede... So from here on out, these will be my travel boots. Win win for all, right? 

I can justify most anything... 

Good news: THE FINAL CUT is on the NYT list for the third week - I am so incredible grateful for this! It's so exciting to think of so many people reading this book.

Spent most of the afternoon on the phone with Garmin, trying to get my European maps to work. Things aren't looking fabulous on this front; the download keeps crashing, so fingers crossed it will actually work. I don't particularly want to get stranded in Scotland with no GPS.

Tomorrow is WHEN SHADOWS FALL AAs, and we turned in the outline for YARD OF GRAVES. So... onward! 

Sweet dreams! 

10.8.13

I've always loved haystacks. Probably a leftover from growing up in Colorado, and a lingering fascination with Van Gogh. I love that Tennessee has long, open fields with giant rolls of hay. And at sunset, driving by the green fields with their yellow haystacks, the sun dipping into the horizon, casting the gloaming mists -- I'm telling you, it's worth taking a drive to see. I was lucky enough to get caught in traffic on one such road this evening, and it was glorious.

Lots done today, some with the secret project, some on SHADOWS, which I now have back in its final form before it goes to print. One last chance to make sure everything is in agreement, makes sense, and there are no typos. Which we all know is futile; typos breed. But I'll do my best. We had a whopper in THE FINAL CUT, one of those head-smackers that was so egregious, we have no idea how it passed the censors. But it did, and I feel so silly. Alas.

Great yin yoga session with my beloved guru this afternoon. There was a discussion of the Buddhist concept of suffering, one I'm quite interested in. At its most basic, life is life. There are ups and downs. Bad things happen - it's inevitable. There is death, and illness. Things don't go our way. How we choose to deal with those inevitabilities is what suffering is about. We don't have to suffer. We can accept the inevitable and not turn into drama lamas. It's a fun concept, one I've been interested in for a long time now.  

Which made me wonder if it's just my temperament that attracts me to Buddhism. I am at heart a happy person. Happy because I choose to be. Happy because it feels better to be happy than it does to feel sad. I think my happiness is sometimes mistaken for extroversion, which is another interesting concept I need to meditate on. I feel like I am a classic introvert, but no one who meets me ever believes that. Something to think about.

Packing tonight. Which means I have to run, and fold about a thousand loads of clothes. But really quick, we went to see Queens of the Stone Age last night, and it was a wonderful concert. Loved it. Josh Homme is dead sexy, and the band was tight. Want a modern day American rocker, tattooed, smoking version of Jamie Fraser? Josh Homme's your guy. 

Sweet dreams!