Short Time Solutions

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: February may be the shortest month, but it’s absolutely packed for the Jungle Reds. Last week, Hank’s new thriller, ONE WRONG WORD, came out. Tomorrow, the 14th book in Jenn’s Library Lovers series, FATAL FIRST EDITION, is released, and on Wednesday, the paperback of Deb’s latest Duncan Kincaid/ Gemma James novel, A KILLING OF INNOCENTS, will be published. But wait - there’s more! On February 27 you can get the paperback of ALL THAT IS HIDDEN, Rhys and Clare Broyles last Molly Murphy mystery, and just two weeks after that their new hardcover, IN SUNSHINE OR IN SHADOW, drops. Whew! 

And if that’s not enough, we’re topping the week off this Saturday with the second livestream at Reds and Readers. (We decided on the easy-to-remember 7-7-17, or to lay it out,  7 writers at 7pmET on the 17th of the month.)  

This is all to say I’ve been thinking about packing a lot in in a short period of time. Now, I’m an absolute disaster at multitasking - instead of juggling, I wind up with shattered glassware on the floor. But I’m very good at squeezing in a short job while waiting for something else. In the two minutes it takes to reheat my mug of tea in the microwave, I can shovel out the cat pan. I have six minutes when I’m boiling water in my electric kettle (yes, lots of my waiting is tea-related!) and in that time I can pull on my rubber gloves and wash the pots and wine glasses. 

It takes the dogs around ten minutes in the door yard to sniff around and find just the right place to relieve themselves; while I watch them from the porch, I delete old emails from my phone. And I have twenty minutes while my Friday night frozen pizza bakes (you can see, I’m being brutally honest here!) and in that time I can sweep the kitchen and the front hall, which, this time of year, is constantly littered with bits of bark and wood chaff from hauling in fuel for the wood stove.

I read - somewhere - that fitting chores/exercise/maintenance in between the bigger, more sustained efforts of the day is The Latest Thing. I do worry that it’s part of the “grindset” culture; you know, all the advice that wants you working and productive from morn til midnight. (Several of the Reds fall into this category naturally, but let’s face it, not everyone does.)

On the other hand, it’s nice to get to the end of the day with the glasses sparking, the kitty litter fresh, and the floor clean - while never feeling like I actually did housework. How about you, Reds? What do you fit in to the shortest parts of your day?

JENN McKINLAY: Oh, this is so great. There is a fine line between grindset and efficiency and I know I tend to cross the line into the grind more often than not. I’m working on it! Little things I do to make the most of the spare minutes are throw a load of wash in the washer or dryer while the dogs do their thing, have a daily chat with my mom while walking those same dogs (yes, they’re spoiled), delete duplicate/bad photos from my phone while waiting in line (pharmacy, DMV, what have you), clean the interior of the shower while I’m actually showering, and I do the dishes while waiting for my evening decaf coffee to brew. 

I do try to meditate, clear my mind, every morning for at least twenty minutes. I sit perfectly still and just try to make my mind blank/quiet. It gives me a calm start to my day and I don’t feel so overwhelmed by all of the have to’s. 

RHYS BOWEN:  I have inherited multi-tasking genes. My mother could never watch TV without knitting, having the crossword book in front of her and probably a half-read book as well. I start my day (after emails, Facebook and Wordle) in the kitchen by switching on the electric kettle. While it boils I unload the dishwasher, clean off the counters, put tea in the teapot. 

During the Covid lockdown when there was no sport to watch I gave myself a mini Olympics. Could I run to the bathroom, pee, and return while a cup of tea was heating in the microwave. Yeah. She did it. World record. Also timed myself on unloading the silverware and putting away correctly. I routinely tie my shoes when I’m sitting on the loo prior to going out.

But my best multi tasking is when I’m driving and I talk through the next scene I’m about to write. It’s so productive sitting alone in that little capsule and voicing the dialog out loud.

LUCY BURDETTE: OMG, I am such a slacker! I spend way too much downtime checking email and Facebook. The one good thing I’ve started to do is take my morning coffee from the Cuban Coffee Queen and combine it with a good walk for Lottie and me. That way she gets some exercise and so do I. John often listens to who knows what while he’s dog-walking, but I prefer to keep my brain unoccupied just in case a piece of a plot occurs to me.

 . 

 HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: this is my favorite thing! I try to make it like a personal Jenga, seeing what I can fit in and where. For instance. If I am going to ride the treadmill for an hour, I will start the pasta water on very low just so it starts heating up. Then I put in the laundry . I read on the treadmill, or dictate emails. Then when I come back downstairs, . I will chop the vegetables for the pasta, turn the water up higher and cover so it will boil, run down and put the laundry in the dryer, and take my shower. Then, by the time I get back upstairs, the pasta water is boiling. That I can put in the pasta  and organize the rest of the dinner.  Then, I can fold the newly dry laundry while Jonathan is cleaning up from dinner. 

 

So efficient! It makes me so happy to do this! I have to say. 

I have been known to brush my teeth, walking up and down the hall so I get more steps.

DEBORAH CROMBIE:  We are so funny! Maybe we need to do a time-saving challenge show! I walk circles in my house when I talk on the phone. (Don’t like to talk or listen to stuff when walking the dog, that time is too good for plotting.) I heat water for tea and make toast while I”m unloading the dishwasher in the morning. I fill the birdfeeder while the dogs are doing their morning business. I delete photos and emails while waiting on things like appointments. When I quit work for the day, I throw a load of laundry in the washing machine (utility room is upstairs, as is office.) Then when I come back upstairs after dinner, I throw the load in the dryer, then fold it after my bath while listening to my audio book. I love this–is that silly? But I do have a midday routine, when I break from morning work. I clean the cat boxes, water house plants, tidy the living room, and give the hardwood floors a quick pick up with the battery Dyson. It gets me moving after sitting all morning.

HALLIE EPHRON: Like Debs, I walk circles when I’m on the phone. I’m also with Julia … multitasking often leads to spills and breakage. Worse still, a house littered with half-done tasks. I like to be efficient – does that count as multitasking? 

But if I’m writing, I’m WRITING or developing materials for a writing workshop? 100%. When I need a break, I check email or answer a call or do research. But if I try to work on two projects at once I’m doomed and neither one gets properly nailed down and tucked in.

 

JULIA: How about you, dear readers? What do you manage to fit in in the two/five/ten minutes you have to spare?   

 

Photo by Liliana Drew: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-washing-dishes-9462196/ 

Photos by Liliane Drew and  Cottonebro Studios, from Pexels.comPhoto by Liliana Drew: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-person-washing-dishes-9462196/

What We're Writing - Fatal First Edition by Jenn McKinlay

 We have some winners!!!

Diana, you are the winner of Rhys's giveaway of The Paris Assignment! You can email her with your email address at authorrhysbowen at gmail dot com 

Celia, you are the winner of Lucy's giveaway of the paperback of A Dish to Die For ! You can email her with your address at raisleib at gmail dot com

Congratulations!!!

JENN: I'm not writing so much as doing page proofs on FATAL FIRST EDITION. I found a massive error on page 77, so I'm trying to correct it and not change the page layout. What a dope! I knew I needed to fix it during copyedits and somehow I missed it. Argh!

Anyway, here is the newly finalized cover! YAY! 

FEBRUARY 2024

As you can probably deduce, there is a train involved. Even better than that--what could be better, you ask?--well, the opening of the mystery takes place at an archivist conference and the guest speaker is none other than Brooklyn Wainwright from Kate Carlisle's bestselling Bibliophile mystery series. 

Coming October 24th

Yes, Kate gave her permission. In my mind, I love to believe that Brooklyn and Lindsey are as good of friends as Kate and I.

Here's a snippet from their meeting: 

     Lindsey tried not to be nervous as she approached the famed book restorer. She’d read articles about Brooklyn Wainwright and watched online videos where she discussed her various projects. She was everything Lindsey had hoped to be when she’d been in library school, studying to be an archivist. 

     “Excuse me, Ms. Wainwright,” she said.

     Brooklyn turned away from Standish and gave Lindsey her full attention. “Hi, how can I help you?”

     “I’m sorry to bother you, but I have a book here that I was hoping you’d take a look at?” Lindsey used up speak, turning it into a question so that she didn’t sound demanding. She held out the bag and the man beside Brooklyn took it before Brooklyn could. 

     “Really, Derek?” Brooklyn asked the man but he ignored her and opened the bag, peeking inside.

     “Yes, really, darling,” he said. Lindsey noted his British accent and immediately warmed to him as he reminded her of their friend Robbie Vine, also Brit, back home in Briar Creek. “If I’ve learned one thing whilst being married to you, it’s that books can kill.”

     Sully turned to Lindsey with his eyebrows raised. “He’s not wrong.”

     Lindsey glanced at Brooklyn and in that moment she knew she was right and they really were kindred spirits. Not just in their love of old books but also in the men they’d married. 

     “It’s clear.” Derek handed the bag to Brooklyn. 

     “Thank you,” she said. She took the book out of the bag holding it gently just as Lindsey had. 

     She examined every bit of it, cloth cover, edges, and spine, and when she opened it and read the inscription, she gasped. “This could be worth a fortune. It’s a first edition with what appears to be the original dust jacket and it’s in amazing shape. It’d go easily for several thousand but the inscription, if authenticated, makes it an extremely rare collectible for both fans of Highsmith and Hitchcock. The bidding war at an auction for this book could be off the chart.”

     Henry Standish who’d been speaking with one of the conference volunteers, identifiable by the lanyard and badge that he wore, joined them. “Thank you again, Brooklyn, always a pleasure. Our next speaker is here, however, so…”

     He made a shooing motion with his hands. Well, that was abrupt. 

     Brooklyn and Derek exchanged an amused glance. She put the book back in the bag and handed it to Lindsey. “It appears to be in excellent condition. You have quite a treasure there.”

     “It’s not mine,” Lindsey said. “I found it under my seat.” Henry glanced between them clearly impatient for them to depart. Lindsey held the tote bag out to him. “Do you have a lost and found for the conference?”
     “Yes, of course. You can check with the registration staff,” he said. “I’m sure they have one set up right there by the main doors.”

     He began to walk, ushering them like a flock of ducks across a busy road.

     “I’ve only taken a quick glance at the book and I’d need more time to be certain, but I think that book is very valuable, as in tens of thousands of dollars,” Brooklyn said. “Potentially even more than that.”

     Henry stopped ushering. “Excuse me?”

     Brooklyn nodded. “First edition, excellent condition, and inscribed by the author to a famous movie director? We’re talking big money.”

     “And probably a murder,” Derek muttered under his breath. “In fact, I think we need to go so you don’t get involved in yet another life threatening situation.”

     “Me?” Brooklyn put her hand on her chest, the picture of innocence.

     “Sound advice,” Sully said. He and Derek exchanged a look of complete understanding. “We should go to.”

     “But the book,” Lindsey and Brooklyn protested together.

I had so much fun writing Kate's characters into the mystery, although I did tease her and tell her I was going to kill them off - LOL!!! I know, I'm a terrible friend. Also, I would never. I love Brooklyn and Derek!

So, how about it, Reds and Readers, do you enjoy it when characters from one series pop up in another? 

What We're Writing by Jenn McKinlay

Jenn McKinlay: Shocking no one, I'm sure, I'm working on a couple of things at the moment. The first project is a dear reader letter for my May romcom SUMMER READING. 

Why? Because when I decided to write a heroine who has dyslexia, I knew I wanted the book to be as accessible as possible. Straight up, it looks different. The font is a sans serif called Verdana, words that would be italicized are in bold instead, and there are no hyphens at the end of sentences, because the book designers agreed that if you're writing a book about a character with dyslexia, it should be as dyslexic friendly as possible. Still, for readers without dyslexia, I had to explain. 

Of course, the readers who are determined to hate the book do not care and dole out their one stars because "how dare I change a book's format" -- yes, there are already a few of those popping up on Goodreads. *eye roll* This is the part of being an author where you have to, in the immortal words of Taylor Swift, "Shake it off." LOL.

PRE-ORDER NOW

Second, I'm working on a Kindle Vella project because I had a half done novel that I thought if I held myself accountable by putting up "episodes" in a timely fashion then I might actually finish it. It's called I Can't Even, so let's hope that's not a predictor of me completing it. Ha! 

It's a romance mystery mash-up and so far it's been great fun to revisit. Kindle Vella, a serialized fiction platform, is fairly new and I'm hoping these episodes give me greater access to Kindle readers, especially since the first three episodes are FREE. Who doesn't love FREE? I've heard authors say there's a vast ocean of Kindle-only readers out there, so I'm hoping to bridge those waters a bit. We'll see. 

And lastly, I'm working on the first draft of Fatal First Edition, the next Library Lover's mystery that for some inexplicable reason I thought would be cool to set on a train. *face palm*

Yeah, picture me tied to the tracks looking up at this...

Ellen Creager/Detroit Free Press

That's about how well it's going. *sigh* Who knew train travel could be so complicated? Cool! But complicated! And that's it from Chez Jenn. 

As I write and rewrite my dear reader letter, I have to ask, does anyone read those? Should I put a brain teaser in the middle just to see? LOL.