Spring is busting out all over around Hershey and in Delaware, too. One of the interesting things about traveling so much between home and my parents’ house is seeing the progression of the season. Central Delaware is about two weeks ahead of Hershey. That is to say, when my mother’s daffodils and summer snowflakes are fading, mine are just beginning to flower.
My mother’s wrist has healed, hallelujah! She’s getting physical therapy and much of her range of motion and strength is coming back. None of the other problems are fixed, of course, but some of them have solutions in view. The contractor will install (soon!) handrails in various locations.
Now that Mark’s come home, my parents may admit the need for the occasional home health aide or cleaning service. It could happen. We may even get a stack washer/dryer installed so my mother doesn’t have to climb down the mineshaft stairs into the dungeon of a basement to do laundry. If she agrees. Revamping the bathroom to make it handicap-accessible is still a bridge too far.
In the meantime, we’ve got some excitement ahead for us. We have two physical, real-world events!
Yes, events.
You remember that word from over a year ago. When you showed your face in public rather than looking like Jesse James on the way to the bank to make an unauthorized withdrawal.
Our first outing is at Cupboard Maker Books on Saturday, 24 April from 10 am to noon. April 24 is Independent Bookstore Day so visit with us at Cupboard Maker or your local bookstore. They’re sure to have events planned. We won’t be the only authors at Cupboard Maker either. Here’s the link so you can see what they’ve got planned.
Our second, scheduled public appearance is at Hershey Art Fest on Saturday, 8 May 2021. This is the day before Mother’s Day and you know you want to get something special for your mother like a bedazzled handrail to install on her dangerously bare front porch steps. We’ll be somewhere in the mob of tents surrounding the Cocoa Beanery. This is an all-day event. We’ll be setting up around 8 am or so and stay until late afternoon or the thunderstorm arrives to shut us down early (can’t predict May weather, you know).
We are really looking forward to both events. We’ve got several new titles since our last public outing and can finally show them off in person.
Remember, if you buy a book from us at a show, you’ll get a cloth market bag to put your purchase in, plus a cloth bookmark to mark your place, and you’ll get our bonus amusing patter and a Kiss or two.
We love to meet people; that’s a big reason why we like doing public events.
About those Kisses: because of the pandemic, we’ve dialed back on homemade cookies and now supply Hershey Kisses. I don’t know what flavor they’ll be. Chocolate World, home of everything sweet and delicious, has over a dozen varieties of Kisses to choose from.
We’re Going on a Second Honeymoon!
Even more exciting, Bill and I will do something wild and crazy that we haven’t done since we got married in September 1993. We’re going to take a few days off and visit Ocean City. We’ll borrow my best friend’s beach house (10 miles inland but it’s close enough to count) and spend the time writing, sleeping, and exploring.
Ocean City is an amazing example of municipal planning and management. It has less than 10,000 year-round residents, yet swells to a population of 300,000+ on summer weekends. Its geography is astonishing too: a sandbar about 9 miles long and about half-mile wide, separated from the rest of Maryland by the Inter-coastal Waterway. There are three ways in or out of Ocean City (including the road that leads into the Delaware shore towns) and all of them become massive traffic jams during the summer. Thus, the best time to visit is when we’re going: during the off-season. The weather should be acceptable, it won’t be so crowded, and the local businesses could use the business.
We’ve been keeping busy other ways too, along with writing.
Bill has his monthly podcast for the Mechanicsburg Mystery Bookstore. He just finished interviewing Sophie Hannah and it was just posted!
Here’s the link to all his podcasts for the store.
I did a video presentation for the Hershey Public Library local author spotlight about Sew Cloth Grocery Bags. My goodness but I need a stylist. For a home recording, we did alright. If you’re interested, here’s that link. I recorded this back in November of 2020, but forgot to update the newsletter!
Finally, Bill got interviewed by Burt Wolder of the I Hear of Sherlock Everywhere podcast!!!! They talked about Sherlock parodies, our own 223B Casebook series, and what’s coming next. If you’re a Sherlock Holmes fan, subscribe to the podcast if you haven’t already.
And last but not least, there are the books. Nothing new for April, I’m afraid. Bill is still slaving over The Casebook of Blue Ploermell. The odds are good that we’ll press [publish] before the end of May. After that, we’ll see.
I’m working steadily but much slower on Escape to HighTower. I’m keeping up with the Agatha at the Movies project, as is Bill with editing my reviews. I have to start working on my edits for The Vanished Pearls of Orlov. That book’s been finished for months but, well, you know. Life gets in the way. There is no life/work balance. As soon as you think there is, things happen like ice storms and broken wrists.
Once I finish writing Escape to HighTower, I’ll start The War Dogs of Barsoom. That’s going to be Ulla and Shondra’s story. They don’t like each other but they’ll have to work together to save Ulla’s half-brother (whom she didn’t know existed) and Shondra’s daughters from slavers. They’ll find true love along the way. That’s the general outline now, but it’s subject to change without notice.
If you’ve been following along with Escape to HighTower at Wattpad or Archive Of Our Own, you know Ulla well. You may have forgotten Shondra Chee Sakamoto. We met her in The Vanished Pearls of Orlov, when Charlton and Iolanthe began their search for Lannie. The dogs belong to Shondra; massive brutes with paws the size of salad plates. When Iolanthe met Shondra’s dogs, she thought they were big enough to devour a human being and she may well prove to be correct. We’ll find out.
So that’s where we’re at. Things to do, books to finish, and spring has graciously decided to arrive. Remember, we love comments so if you have any, don’t hesitate to email us at [email protected].