How many times can you tell a person, “I’m working on the first book in my mystery series” before they think you’re just pretending?

The life of a writer is a quiet one, and the action taking place on the pages is never apparent until a book is released to readers. I’m in one of those quiet stretches now. I haven’t released a book for a while, and to the reader, what’s a writer without a new book release?

Well, here’s a twist: I’m working on the SECOND book in my mystery series. The first one is out for marketing, looking for a publisher, and the optimistic me says that, if someone is interested, I better have that second book ready to go. I re-read the second book recently and found room for improvement so … yeah, I’m working on it.

But after writing each morning, I get out and enjoy the world. Even if it’s just doing barn chores, getting outside in a blustery, upstate New York March is a wondrous thing. As I write, I can hear the bluebirds chortling over their choice of houses (I have placed five nest boxes nearby). I can glance down in the pasture and see my two old mares eating the dull, dormant grass as seriously as if it’s their choice of career. I can check on the daffodils fighting through weeds to find the sun (I’m a bad flower gardener. The weeds always win). I can slip off and play golf (yes, winter golf Zone 5 is a thing if you don’t mind wearing so many layers you can barely swing). In fact, we’re just back from a 5000-mile, round-trip drive to Florida, during which we golfed and visited important people that we don’t see often enough.

So, despite the quiet appearance, a lot is happening. In the writing portion of my world, I’m guessing that my impatience is greater than my readers’. One way or another, I will publish some fiction. It’s just the wait that gets me!

In the meantime, I’m working on a book…