What We're Writing--Debs on Time Anchors

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I've been thinking a lot this week about Hallie's Monday post on anachronisms and frames of reference. I always look up the most popular UK names for the years my characters were born, for instance, and I try to get music right for their time frames.

But because my series is long running and sort of floats in time, it's full of anachromisms for current readers. Many of these are unavoidably technological. I mentioned in a post last month that we've been watching Grey's Anatomy, which debuted in 2005. The show has aged remarkably well because the scope is so limited: the hospital, Meredith's house, the local bar. Oh, and everyone is in scrubs, which pretty much takes fashion out the equation. You may notice that the doctors are using Blackberries (remember those??) in the early seasons, but other than that the show could be set today.

It's not so easy to limit the world in novels, however, and as the first Gemma and Duncan book was published in 1993, there have been a lot of changes (not necessarily progress!) (Duncan has a phone attached to his car in the first book!)

I made a decision with that very first book that while every book would be contemporary, the characters would not age in real time like Ian Rankin's Rebus, who is forty in the first book and has now had to retire! So while three decades have passed in the "real" world, Duncan and Gemma and their family and friends have only aged about six years. (The ages of the children help me keep track of this.)

The snag in this system comes when you bring things into the story that are fixed in real time. I've tried to avoid it, but have goofed up a few times. A good deal of the plot of A FINER END revolves around the Millenium, for instance--ouch. But while I thought when I was writing NO MARK UPON HER that it would be glaringly obvious that Becca was training for the 2012 Olympics in London, now thankfully that seems a little fuzzier.

Despite my efforts (with a few slip ups) to write around things that so obviously date the books, some are unavoidable. Although I've decided that the pandemic (a very specific fixed point in time) didn't exist in my books, l must from now on refer to the King, not the Queen, etc., etc. It's all very tricky and I envy Rhys having control over how her characters fit into their historical framework!

Readers, do you notice these things? Or do they worry me more than than they bother you? 

A KILLING OF INNOCENTS--OUT IN PAPERBACK for Valentine's Day!

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! And I have another good reason to celebrate--A KILLING OF INNOCENTS is out in paperback today!

I thought this was the perfect opportunity to wish a Happy Valentine's Day to my own favorite fictional detecting couple, Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and Detective Inspector Gemma James.

I could never have imagined, nineteen (and counting) books ago, that my two single characters were starting a romantic journey together.

In that first book, A SHARE IN DEATH, we meet the newly minted professional partners. They were both divorced, Gemma juggling single motherhood with the demands of the job, Duncan dealing with the bitterness of a decade-long estrangement from his ex-wife. Neither of them was looking for a relationship.

But cupid had other plans (and who was I to argue?) Since then, over the course of the series, Duncan and Gemma have navigated love and loss, friendship, separations, and life-altering decisions. Now, in A KILLING OF INNOCENTS, we find them married, with a blended family, in a home they love. Partners, in every sense of the word. 

Readers, do you have a favorite detecting couple? I think my first must have been Agatha Christie's Tommy and Tuppence Beresford, and then, be still my heart, Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane. I was hooked on crime and romance! I hope my detectives have done their predecessors justice!

Here's more on A KILLING OF INNOCENTS: New York Times bestseller Deborah Crombie returns with a “gripping police procedural” (Washington Post) featuring Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James as they race to solve the shocking murder of a young woman before panic spreads across London.

On a rainy November evening, trainee doctor Sasha Johnson hurries through the evening crowd in London's historic Russell Square. Out of the darkness, someone jostles her as they brush past. A moment later, Sasha stumbles, then collapses. When Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his sergeant, Doug Cullen, are called to the scene, they discover that she's been stabbed. 

Kincaid immediately calls in his detective wife, Gemma James, who has recently been assigned to a task force on knife crimes. But Sasha Johnson doesn’t fit the profile of the task force’s typical knife crime victim. Sasha had her secrets, though, and some of them lead the detectives uncomfortably close to home. Kincaid, Gemma, and their colleagues must put everything on the line to find the killer stalking the dark streets of Bloomsbury.

Available in paperback wherever books are sold!

BUY NOW!

What's We're Writing--Debs on It's All in the Execution

DEBORAH CROMBIE: It's What We're Writing week here on JRW! On Monday Jenn McKinlay gave us a snippet from the Library Lovers book she's finishing, in which the victim is electrocuted, and I thought, "I haven't electrocuted anyone since the very first murder in my very first book!" That got me thinking about how weird that must sound to people who don't write (or read!) mysteries. What a bloodthirsty bunch we are, always trying to come up with inventive ways to get rid of our poor victims. 

I have used, as we go through my Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James series; electrocution, blunt intrument, poison, drowning, blunt instrument, poison, poison, drowning (the last three all in one book!), strangulation, drowning, hit by car, knifing, knifing, shotgun!, blunt instrument, blunt instrument, drowning, blunt instrument, hit by car (two victims again! And there's a stabbing in that one, too), blunt instrument, blunt instrument, drowning, strangulation, a bomb!, victim pushed in front of train (ick!), strangulation, gunshot, poison, and stabbing!

You can see that I'm not very inventive--I work on the theory that most murderers use the easist/most accessible means, especially if the crime is spur of the moment--and also that I have favorites in my murderous arsenal! Drowning and bludgeoning, obviously, are high on the list, but which one is it in the book in progress, Kincaid/James #20? (Working title is some iteration of The Long Cold Sleep, but we shall see...it may end up something altogether different.)

Just for fun, check out the poor drowning victim in the ridiculously awful original hardcover art for my third book, LEAVE THE GRAVE GREEN. 

The British poet Stevie Smith's poem "Not Waving but Drowning," comes to mind. Does that setting look anything like Henley-on-Thames to you? Or even remotely like a British mystery??

Here's a snippet from K/J #20 (which will hopefully have a much better cover,) in which Gemma, the detective inspector on the case, consults with our dashing favorite pathologist, Dr. Rashid Kaleem.

Raising an eyebrow, Rashid said, “Nothing like jumping back in the deep end, then. Let’s see what we’ve got.” Pulling up his hood, he crouched beside the body and began his examination. “The victim appears to be a Caucasian male, in good physical condition. Probably, judging by his clothing, a runner.” He manipulated the fingers of the corpse’s right hand, then the left. “Rigor is established, as you can see, but from the flexibility in his digits, I’d guess it’s still advancing. However,” he glanced up at Gemma, “immersion in water can play havoc with all our usual indicators, as you know. There’s some bloating and discoloration, but not much sign of marine predation yet.”

“Why is he curled like that?”

“Drowning position. Back to the surface, arms and legs dangling. Normally bodies sink in this position and may show abrasions on fingers and toes, and even the face, from scraping the bottom, but I’m not seeing that here.”

The features were distorted enough that Gemma couldn’t get a clear idea of the man’s looks, or even his age. He’d been clean-shaven and his hair, although still wet, looked dark. He wore running shoes, and above them loose-fitting jogging trousers and a gray t-shirt in some sort of moisture-wicking material.

 Rashid, who’d been examining the clothing, held up an unmarked set of keys. “Zipped in the key pocket. House keys, I imagine. There’s also a mobile phone pocket at the back of the trousers, but it’s just a slip-in type. If he had a phone, it’s come out.”

“Do you think he went in the water here?” Gemma asked. “If that’s the case, the divers may find it.”

“There’s virtually no current in the canal, so in all likelihood, I’d say the body didn’t move far.”

“And time of death?

Rashid flashed a smile at her. “You’re not pinning me down on that until I get him in the lab. But I’ll schedule the postmortem as soon as possible. Bodies that have been in water start to decompose very rapidly once they’re exposed to air.”

“So, this guy was running, fell in, and drowned?” Frowning, Gemma added. “He did drown, right?”

Rashid had moved from the victim’s torso to the head, and was now running his fingers gently over the skull. His hand went still. He looked up at Gemma, all levity gone. “He very well may have. But that would have been after someone bashed him over the head.”

This week's other exciting news, other than writing progress and a blunt instrument or two, is our new REDS & READERS private Facebook group! It's a great place to make friends, find new authors, and of course keep up with the REDS. We'll be doing live chats and LOTS of giveways! I'll be giving away a copy of Kincaid/James #19, A KILLING OF INNOCENTS, so click here to join the fun, and leave a comment there to be entered for the contest!

Readers, do you like your murders complicated, or straight up?

A KILLING OF INNOCENTS - Celebrating Deborah Crombie's #19!

 

HALLIE EPHRON: This week we have not one but TWO Jungle Reds launching new books. Yesterday, Hank's THE HOUSE GUEST. 

Today, Deborah Crombie's A KILLING OF INNOCENTS.

I am completely out of breath from I’m reading this wonderful new novel--Deb’s 19th (YES 19th!) Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James mystery. I feel as if I’ve been watching a high-wire act. It’s absolutely brilliant the way Deb weaves the stories together so that the investigation of a heartstopping murder--in this case the stabbing of a trainee doctor in London’s Russell Square--is just the beginning.

Multiple characters narrate, one handing off seamlessly to the other. The marriage and family drama of Duncan and Gemma and Kit and Toby and Charlotte provide a steady counterpoint. These are real people living messy complex lives. When death occurs, it matters.

The characters feel so real. So I have to ask Debs, do they in some form actually live in your head while you’re writing? What about between books?

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Yes, they do. I feel as if Duncan and Gemma and all the crew are leading a parallel life that I just get to tap into for the little segments of time that we see in the books. I can’t imagine not writing and not having this other world constantly running in my head.

HALLIE: In each of your books, you introduce at least one brand new character to an ever-expanding cast, creating new sources of tension and possibility, as well as as-yet-unexplored setting, along with a new backdrop. In the last series novel, A Bitter Feast, I was fascinated by the the goings on behind the scenes of a gourmet restaurant. Another book tapped into the young music scene.

What were the neighborhoods and backdrops that you researched for this book, and did what you learned affect how the murder mystery unfolds?

DEBORAH: When I moved Duncan to the team at Holborn Police Station several books back, it was partly because I knew I wanted to set a book in Bloomsbury.

Bloomsbury has such fascinating historical and literary associations. Think the British Museum, the Bloomsbury group (Virginia Woolf, Rupert Brook, etc.) Charles Dickens lived in Bloomsbury, so did Charles Darwin for a time. Dorothy L. Sayers lived early in her writing career in Mecklenberg Square (which we managed to get on the map!) and then later she lived for many years just behind Holborn Police Station. The book also takes us into neighboring Soho, which has a very different character.

London is an amalgamation of villages and each neighborhood is very different.

HALLIE: Was there a new character you introduced or a backdrop that you think you’ll continue to write about?

DEBORAH: Although she’s not a new character, we saw a lot more of DI Jasmine Sidana in this book and she will definitely continue to play a major role. 

I imagine we’ll see more of Lucy McGillivray (why did I give a character a name that’s so hard to type??) I know a good bit more about her than we’ve seen. I’d like to see more of Duncan’s case manager, Simon Gikas, too. 

As for the new characters, I loved the bar owner Darrell Cherry, and especially Howard Quirk, the retired auction house appraiser. We may see more of him and Wallace, his border terrier. Oh, and I loved Destiny Howard, Wesley's sister, and I already have ideas in mind for her.

And I think we’ll definitely see more of Bloomsbury and Soho.

HALLIE: Another commenter wrote: “It's a perfect balance of police procedure and the couple's personal life that involves parenting three children while working demanding jobs.” Never mind Raymond Chandler’s “A really good detective never gets married?”

It’s so clever the way you manage to tie up the loose ends of the murder mystery while leaving complicated and dangling threads in Duncan and Gemma’s personal life to be addressed in the next book.

How do you keep two stories in synch – the family’s ongoing drama and the murder investigation within a single book?

DEBORAH: This is a bit of a “which comes first, the chicken or the egg” question. I usually have some ideas about what’s going to happen in the characters’ lives and will adjust the murder investigation plot to fit. And vice versa. It’s different with every book.

HALLIE: And I admire your ability to switch narrators all the time, seamlessly. As a writer, is there a trick to switching gears so that the thoughts you put on the page are in a specific character’s voice?

DEBORAH: I do think about backgrounds and accents when I’m writing a character. But mostly, their voices just develop as I’m writing the viewpoint. I hear them in my head, which makes me sound a bit bonkers.


HALLIE: Even for this 19th book I know you had to do research. Where did that take you for this book?

DEBORAH: One of my jumping off points was the history of the Victorian cholera epidemics in Bloomsbury and Soho. I was fascinated by a book called The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson about the discovery of the cause of cholera by Dr. John Snow in Soho in the 1850s. People thought cholera was caused by bad air, and Snow proved it was carried by their drinking water, which was contaminated by the sewage pouring into the Thames. It was the beginning of the science of epidemiology, and of huge importance to public health.

My original plot revolved around someone deliberately infecting people with a contagious virus, which I decided was unworkable. Weirdly, I was plotting this in late 2019, and I’m really glad I didn’t try to go in that direction! We do get a little of the cholera story but not as much as I’d have liked. Sometimes the plot doesn’t cooperate.

HALLIE: Where do you think you’ll take your characters next?

DEBORAH: It will definitely be London, partly in some areas I haven’t written about before. To say anymore would be a spoiler!

HALLIE: THANKS, Debs! And congratulations on today's book launch! 

You're probably deep into writing the next book. As for me, I'm looking forward to hearing more about DI Jasmine Sidana. She's got a prickliness I admire. Any thoughts from the rest of us about characters or neighborhoods we'd like to come back to in a future Deborah Crombie book?

What We're Writing--Debs in the Ivory Tower

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Most of us writers perpetually wish that we could escape to a proverbial ivory tower where we could write undisturbed. We even pay to go on writing retreats, where we have no interruptions and no responsibilities other than turning out those pages as our deadlines loom. But so far the only retreats I've managed have consisted of booking myself into hotel rooms for a few days, although I daydream about one in which I stay in beautiful cottage in the woods, and delicious baskets of food are delivered to me several times a day while I tap out page after brilliant page... 

Unfortunately, that one hasn't come true.

I've never been very good at sticking to schedules, I have to admit. One outing can throw me off my writing stride for days, and a trip can set me back for weeks, so I suppose it's natural that I've fantasized about having loads of uninterrupted time. I never imagined I would actually get my wish.

But here I am, almost four months into lockdown. No trips, no conferences, no book signings, no speaking events. No lunches out, no shopping expeditions with my daughter, no babysitting, no movies, no concerts, no having friends over for wine-time in my kitchen.

It's just me and my laptop, day after day. We'll see in a couple of months whether or not there's magic in a forced retreat. My deadline is inching nearer.

Here's a snippet from Kincaid/James #19.

And for a  little scene setting, here's a view of the cafe in Russell Square, in Bloomsbury, not far from the British Museum.

And here's the fountain in its center, on a damp and chilly November night.

“Mummy.” Trevor tugged at the hem of her coat.

Lesley Banks gave a sigh of exasperation and kept her eyes fixed on the screen of her mobile. “Honestly, Trev,” she snapped. “Amuse yourself for one minute, can’t you? You’re a big boy now.” One of her staff at the hotel had just sent her a text saying she couldn’t come in for evening shift and Lesley had got to sort it out straight away. The walk across the square was the only time she didn’t have to keep her eye—and her hand—firmly fixed on her five-year-old.

“But, Mummy—”

“Trev, just look at the pretty fountain, okay?” she said, scrolling through her contacts for someone who might be willing to fill a shift at short notice.

Mummy.” Trevor’s tug was more insistent. Something in his voice made her look away from her screen. “Mummy, I think that lady isn’t well.”

“What lady is that, love?”

Trevor pointed. “That lady over there, by the tree.”

Lesley made out a dark shape beneath the trees just beyond the illumination cast by the fountain’s lights. She shook her head. “Not our business, love.”

“But Mummy.” Trevor scuffed at the leaves. “She walked funny. And then she fell down.”

“Look, baby, it’s probably someone who’s just had a bit too much—” Lesley stopped. That wasn’t the best path to go down with a kid, she supposed. And why teach your children to be kind if you weren’t prepared to be bothered yourself? With a grimace, she pocketed her mobile and grasped Trevor’s hand. “Okay, let's have a look.” Taking a few steps closer, she called out, “Miss? Are you okay, miss?”

There was no movement from the shape, but her eyes had adjusted and now she could make out legs, and the outline of a boot. Lesley hesitated. There was something about that stillness that struck her as wrong. Even drunks weren’t usually completely unresponsive. She glanced round, suddenly hoping for a supportive fellow Samaritan, but the crowd had thinned while she’d been dithering.

She could just call 999, of course, but she’d look an idiot if it was a rough sleeper merely the worse for wear. And if the woman really was ill, well, she’d had first aid training—you had to these days in the hotel business, didn’t you?—and the ambulance service could take forever.

Loosening Trevor’s hand, she put him behind her and said, “You stay right here, baby, while Mummy checks on the lady.”

Taking a deep breath, she crossed the intervening ground and knelt. “Miss,” she said.

When there was no reply, Lesley put tentative fingers on the woman’s shoulder and gave it a gentle shake. The figure, loose as a jelly, rolled face up. The flopping arm brushed Lesley’s knees.

Lesley jerked back, her hand to her mouth. “Oh, Christ,” she breathed. Behind her, Trevor began to cry.

Reds and readers, have you had a fantasy come true in a totally unexpected way? And fellow REDS, have you ever done a proper writer's retreat? 

Debs Gearing up for A BITTER FEAST

DEBORAH CROMBIE: Oh my gosh, we have a lot going on at Jungle Red these days. Lucy's newest Key West mystery was out in May, new books from Hallie and Rhys are coming next week, then Hank later in August, Jenn in September, me in October, and Julia in April! It's a fabulous REDS season!! And we are all in some stage or another of promoting these books and writing the next one (or "ones" in Jenn's case!)

Here's where we are on A BITTER FEAST, Kincaid/James #18, coming October 8th!

Here's the first review, and it's STARRED! I am over the moon!

*A Bitter Feast.

By Deborah Crombie
Oct. 2019. 384p. Morrow, $25.99 (9780062271662); e-book, $12.99 (9780062271686)

A weekend in the country turns into more work than play for Scotland Yard detectives Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James. Melody Talbot, Gemma’s detective sergeant, invites the couple and their three children to the Cotswolds estate of her parents, Sir Ivan and Lady Adelaide Talbot, on the occasion of an upscale charity luncheon to be catered by local chef Viv Holland. Things go awry from the start when Duncan, traveling to the Talbots’ alone in the family car, is hit broadside, and the other driver dies as the slightly injured Duncan holds her hand. But attention centers on the passenger in that car, identified as former London celebrity chef Fergus O’Reilly, who’s found to have died before the crash. So, what was intended to be a relaxing sojourn turns into a murder investigation. As the detectives pitch in to help at the luncheon and confer with local authorities, another person close to Viv becomes a victim, and the history between the chefs is gradually revealed. The eighteenth entry in this best-selling series is notable for its portrayals of Duncan and Gemma’s children (especially the oldest, Kit), and for the addition of food as an item of interest, a factor that will extend the appeal from the series' procedural-loving fan base to the foodie mystery crowd. This character-driven series just continues to get better.

—Michele Leber


It is so incredibly nerve-wracking, as we can all attest, waiting for the reviews to come out.

The social media banner are up, yay!  Here's the one for Facebook.

This one was quite a trauma, I can tell you, as the first pass from the publisher was BROWN. All over. Background and cover. I had a good bit of help from my painter sister-in-law, and together we came up with the red overlay behind the gold cover. What do you think? Hopefully it's much more eye-catching.

Today I'm meeting with my publicist at Morrow to talk about the tour schedule, so more on that soon.

Next week, I tackle updating my web page. And maybe (whispering) even contemplating a newsletter. 

So what am I actually writing, you ask?

Seven hundred and sixty of these. These are called tip-in sheets, and they will go in specially bound books for Barnes and Noble. I've done these for independent bookstores before, but never nearly as many, and never for B&N, so I'm pretty tickled. (But boy do I have writer's cramp.)

And there is terrific news coming soon about Duncan and Gemma's next adventures, so stay tuned!

Readers, how important is it to you to have a signed copy of a favorite author's book? I'm not a big collector, but I have a few I will never part with, like my signed Dick Francis and James Herriott books.

Tell us about your most precious signed book, and I'll send one of the very last ARCs of A BITTER FEAST to one lucky commenter!

And just for one more bit of fun, here's Castle Coombe, the beautiful village in the book jacket photo. Anyone who has been there will recognize it instantly. It makes me want to go back to the Cotswolds!

Deborah Crombie--A Bitter Feast, the Cover

DEBORAH CROMBIE: One of THE most exciting things for an author in the life of a book is the day you get to show the world the cover! So here is the first look at A BITTER FEAST, Kincaid/James #18!

I absolutely love it!  I think it perfectly conveys the beautiful but ever so slightly sinister feeling of my Cotswold village in the story.  The wash over the artwork is a shimmery metallic gold and I think it's going to leap off the book displays. I hope you like it, too!

Here's a bit about the story:

Scotland Yard Detective Superintendent Duncan Kincaid and his wife, Detective Inspector Gemma James, have been invited for a relaxing weekend in the tranquil Cotswolds, one of Britain’s most beautiful and historic regions, famous for its rolling hills, sheep-strewn green meadows, golden cottages, and timeless villages that retain the spirit of old England. 

Duncan, Gemma, and their children are guests at Beck House, the country estate belonging to the family of Melody Talbot, Gemma’s trusted detective sergeant. No ordinary farmers, the Talbots are wealthy and prominent with ties to Britain’s most powerful and influential. A centerpiece of this glorious fall getaway is a posh charity luncheon catered by up-and-coming chef Viv Holland. After more than a decade in London, Viv has returned to her native Glouscestershire, making a name for herself with her innovative, mouthwatering use of the local bounty. Attended by several dozen of the area’s well-to-do, as well as national food bloggers and restaurant critics, the event could make Viv a star. 

But a tragic car accident followed by a series of mysterious deaths could ruin her ascent. Each piece of information that surfaces makes it clear that the killer had a connection with Viv’s pub—and perhaps with Beck House itself. 

Does the truth lie in the past? Or is it more immediate, woven into the tangled relationships and bitter resentments swirling among the staff at Beck House and at Viv’s pub? Or is it even more personal, entwined with secrets hidden by Viv, her business partner Bea Abbot, and Viv’s eleven-year-old daughter Grace?

Further revelations rock the Talbots’ estate and pull Duncan and Gemma and their colleagues into the investigation. With so much at stake both personally and professionally, especially for Melody Talbot, finding the killer becomes one of the team’s most crucial cases.

I hope REDS and readers are looking forward to the release of A BITTER FEAST on October 8th, 2019 as much as I am!

It's available for PRE-ORDER here:

Amazon 

Barnes and Noble 

iBooks 

IndieBound

Harper Collins  
Books-a-Million

Kobo

Google Play
 
So, dear REDS and readers, do you like a book cover to convey something about the story, such as setting? Will you pick up a book by an unfamiliar author simply because the cover intrigues you? (I most definitely will.) And how much does the cover influence your online picks?  

Reds on Writing: Debs on the Tortoise and the Hare

DEBORAH CROMBIE:  Seventeen (almost, more on that in a minute) novels, and I'm still looking for the Magic Bullet. I know, of course, that there is no such thing, and when I speak to writers' groups I always emphasize that. But... Here's where it gets sticky.

I am admittedly slow. But this book has been a bear. On the first of July, it will be two years since I turned in the manuscript for TO DWELL IN DARKNESS. TWO. Now, that's bad. Even for me. Although there has been a book that took longer. (I'm looking at it, stacked on my desk, and the one that came after, which was half the length and took half the time.)

Dear hubby says that I lack project management skills. And that I procrastinate. Both are probably true. I SAY that multiple view point, multiple story line, and sometimes multiple time line novels are HARD. And I am a plotter and a planner, a writer who has to work out who all these characters are and how everything fits together in the intimate history of the setting... At least those are my excuses, and I'm the first to admit they probably are excuses.

BUT, I say. Surely there is a way to do it better, and faster, and that I'll get the next book finished in LESS than a year. My agent, after twenty-three years (Yikes!) just laughs.

And I'm now in what I think of as the Chute. The book--GARDEN OF LAMENTATIONS-- is in the publisher's schedule. (February, 2017!) It has a cover. It's up on my website, and doesn't it look gorgeous?  

t

A big chunk of the manuscript has gone to the illustrator, wonderful Laura Maestro, so that she can start on the accompanying map.  And I have to finish the last...(mumble, mumble) pages in the next two weeks. (This is my new downstairs library table/desk that was pristine two weeks ago. It's now a mess of multiple outlines and notes and books--and cat. Imagine what it will look like two weeks from now...)

I think this makes me the Hare.

The good news is that I know how it all fits together now. (Chapter/scene outline done all the way the way to the end!) I have to get to a certain point before I can do this, but once I do, it rocks.

REDS and writer friends, I want to know. Do you write a regular, set amount, from beginning to end? Or do you find that books reach a tipping point where it all comes together and you blast through to the last page? 

And what about other big, long term projects, everyone? Are you tortoises or hares?