I’ve decided I need an office. The dining room table or the sofa in the living room are fine places to work, but I think a little private space and some peas and carrots might promote better reflection and prose. I considered renting space outside our home(s), but, frankly, that’s a luxury I can’t afford, and anyway, who wants to walk to work when it’s cold and rainy. So over in Bethesda, I’m moving upstairs to the room that once was the grandkids’ nursery (alas, all those birds have flown that nest!) which already doubles as a storage closet and laundry catchall. I hope SWMBO (She Who Must Be Obeyed) a) understands and b) approves. I’m not running away, dear, just relocating.
Both our dwellings are small and the real estate within is always at a premium. To be honest, I still don’t know where to locate my work space in Chestertown. The porch would be a great option, but it’s hardly conducive to the solitude required of writing and it’s been a little too cold and wet of late. The upstairs guest room would be an option were it not for the queen-size bed that leaves almost no room for guests, let alone a desk. An addition or a tiny house in the backyard would be perfect, but the historical powers that be probably wouldn’t allow either. I guess that leaves the dining room table for now. If you have a better idea, let me know.
This is actually a good dilemma, if there is such a thing. The implication is that my creative juices are starting to flow again after the long, cold winter, and there is enough “work” to necessitate finding some dedicated square footage. In addition to these weekly Musings and the demands of my newest novel, I’m getting requests for reviews and questions about writing technique which indicates to me that someone other than SWMBO is reading my copy. Writers need readers so maybe my itch to create more separate space is a good indication that there is some enjoyable reading going on out there. Keep up the good work!
So, here’s an update for all my readers, all ten of you: my third novel, “The People Game,” is the culmination of the Declan Shaw trilogy. You don’t need to have read the first two installments (“This Salted Soil” and “The Tales of Bismuth”) to enjoy the third, but don’t let me stop you. “The People Game” will be of special interest to those of you who live in the Washington DC area and/or on the Eastern Shore, but if you’re outside either zone, I think there’s still plenty of meat left on the bone. All my books are available on Amazon and on Barnes & Noble, as well as in independent bookstores like The Bookplate and Twigs & Teacups in Chestertown, Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, and Wonderland Books in Bethesda. Patronize these fine institutions; they need readers, too. It’s a win-win-win situation for everybody: readers, writers, and booksellers and we need all the wins we can get these days!
Anyway, enough of this shameless self-promotion. The weather is beginning to turn and gas prices are only rising a nickel or two per day now. It’s a good time to buy a book and take it to the nearest park bench. You can thank me later.
I’ll be right back.