The manuscript for my upcoming book, Walking With The Muse has officially been handed off to the book designer today! These past few weeks have been wonderfully tiring. It’s been a joy sifting through thirty years of writing, deciding which stories will make the cut and sprucing parts of them up a little. Above all else it’s made me realize how much I’ve missed publishing.
Ever since the pandemic years I feel like I’ve been bouncing between lukewarm inspiration and creative dry spells. It’s been a creative slump that I feel like I’m, finally, crawling out of.
I don’t even think I’ll be taking a breather after this. I’m planning on gathering together a manuscript of my essays now for publication. After that, at long last, maybe another novel. I missed this way too much and was reminded how much more alive I feel when I’m working towards something substantial instead of just going through the motions of the day.
I’ll have release date details about the launch to share soon for Walking With The Muse soon. And now we wait!
Speaking of Novels
For my birthday this year my wife gifted me Allen Levi’s debut novel, Theo of Golden and I’ve been enthralled. If you’re in search of a quick and satisfying summer read look no further than this. It's extremely well done and I'm thoroughly enjoying it.
The First Smoke of the Day
We awoke this morning to an air quality index score of 355 which places Minnesota amongst the most polluted areas on the entire planet right now. I feel bad for the animals and those people who have to work outside. The wildfire is so thick you can taste it in your mouth when you step outside.
We’re all hoping a cold front comes in to help move this smoke along. At first I was blaming it on the Canadian wildfire smoke but this morning I learned sections of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in Northern Minnesota that are also burning.
Thankfully we have and air cleaner with HEPA filters inside and the Model Y has bioweapons defense mode which scrubs the air inside the vehicle’s cabin. Let me tell you, there's never a dull moment around here.
All for now. Make this a wonderful day.
Seriously?! Is there really that much smoke?! I can't imagine an environment that polluted. Anyway, I'm so glad you're feeling upbeat and that you've forgotten those thoughts you had months ago about quitting writing. If you know that writing excites you, nourishes you, regardless of book sales, you should keep doing it. Sending you a hug, my friend.
It was really bad, the worst I've seen it. You could actually taste the smoke in your mouth. This showed up on social media to educate people about how unhealthy it is:
I see now how insane it was of me to consider quitting. I forgot how much more alive I feel when I'm working on a book project. It reminded me that this is the real reason I do it. Thank you my friend and I hope you enjoy the weekend!
Congratulations on reaching the new milestone. Best wishes for the successful launch. Keep shining 😊
Thank you!
Waiting is the hardest part, but I think it is also when we learn patience.
For sure!
Our Buick has a separate cabin air filter that keeps us kind of safe in there too, but on days like this even that struggles. Like yous said, you can taste it as soon as you go outside. I heard stories that up in the UP the ash was coming down like snow in some areas. My wife read that book I think. I just recently started another Michael Connely book and I am also just about halfway through the book Lucky that they are making an Apple TV Plus show out of.
That's great, those cabin air filters make a lot of difference! My Model 3 just had a couple of cabin air filters but the Model Y's filtration is next level. The B.D.M. HEPA filter is almost the width of the car.
That's crazy that you could see the ash coming down! They must be very close to the wildfires. I'm afraid of what the AQI is going to be like here tonight. It usually doubles as the air pressure changes during sunset. That would put us in the 500-600 range. Theo of Golden has gotten a ton of press lately. Did your wife like the book? I love Connelly's work.
I think she did like the book. I honestly can't remember, but I think it was one she recommended to someone else. That is impressive with the air filter. Makes me realize I need to check my HVAC filter at home!
I should think about changing our furnace filter too. The AQI is much better today, in the 60s instead of 300s.
Ours doesn't look as bad, but they are still saying it is quite high. My wife and I have a concert tomorrow that we are waiting to see if it gets cancelled. They have already cancelled the shows for last night and tonight.
A few of our state fair music acts have ended up cancelling the last couple of years due to wildfire smoke. The wildfire smoke is becoming a regular thing up here.
That's sad.
#hive #posh