Half A Year Completed

by Linda O. Johnston

No matter what time of any year it is, I think frequently about how fast time is passing.  It definitely is this year.  Half of 2017 is gone already!

Not that I wasted any time, and I suspect that's true of most people reading this, whether you're a reader or writer or both.  One particularly fun thing about being a writer is that we can work on our stories even when we're doing other things.  Our subconscious minds are always plotting, no matter what other things we're up to.

Things like traveling.  I took a particularly fun trip recently--one that allowed me to visit the Midnight Ink offices in Woodbury, Minnesota.  I'd never been to Minnesota before, so that was enjoyable, as was the family party I'd gone there to attend.  But seeing the Llewellyn/Midnight Ink offices was definitely a highlight of the trip.  I got to see my wonderful editor, whom I'd already met at Malice Domestic conferences.  Plus, I met some of the helpful and delightful staff I'd worked with online who edit and promote my stories.  They also held a meet and greet where I was able to speak to others on the staff about what I write and why, and to answer their questions and sign some books.  And I got a tour of the offices, which definitely impressed me.  Would I go back there again?  Definitely, if I had the opportunity!  I know some of my fellow authors for Midnight Ink live closer and most likely visit there more often.

So now it's July.  My most recent MI mystery, BAD TO THE BONE, was a May release, and I've turned in the manuscript for the next one in the Barkery & Biscuits Mystery Series.  I'm writing additional stories containing dogs for another publisher--and I'm helping to train our Cavalier King Charles Spaniel puppy Cari, including encouraging her to play gently with her companion Mystie, our older Cavalier.

I suspect the rest of this year will go similarly, even though I won't get to Minnesota again.  But it has been a good year so far for me--and I also hope your year is going well.

And if you're a writer, too--all the best to your subconscious mind!