Last month, I wrote about how I was going to take some time off from the pressure of writing. I was tapped out, drained, and trying to force the words really wasn’t working. I was hoping a trip to the coast, which always seems to get my creative juices flowing, would help me unblock whatever it was that was keeping the words from coming to me.
We had an amazing time in Oregon. Nugget loved the water and Xto was thrilled to have someone to splash around with (I am a complete baby when it comes to cold water, so the ocean in late September is definitely off my list). I spent most of the trip watching my boys play on the beach, took about a million pictures, and waited for inspiration to come.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
And it never did. On the drive home, I kept a lookout at the scenery, hoping something would come to me. Tasting Notes was inspired by a little town and a little winery in Oregon on our way home from the last trip, but this time there was nothing.
I got home and was left wondering if I would spend my entire pregnancy (again) not writing at all.
But then, out of the blue, an idea smacked me in the face. It wasn’t what I was expecting at all. I was hoping to get inspired to finish up the third book in the Zero Hour series… serial killers and runaways and lights and sirens. What I got instead was the fluffiest of fluffy Christmas stories.
I’m pressed to get this written because as the center aisles in Costco will tell you, Christmas is right around the corner. The deadline is tight and given that I haven’t been able to write in a very long time, that’s a little worrisome. I don’t want to jinx it, but the story is a little over 30% and right now on track to come out sometime in mid- to late-November.
Other than a tentative title… The Gingerbread Effect… I don’t have a lot of details to share with you right now, because at this point I am just letting the characters tell me where to go instead of forcing them to fit with a pre-decided plot, but there will be lots of sweetness, a little steam, and plenty of holiday spirit.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Isn’t it funny how Costco is rushing right by Halloween and on to the winter holiday decorating and merchandise? Love the idea and the title for your book. (Although I just watched the movie Krampus with my family, and in that film the gingerbread effect is something completely different…..not to mention I’ll never look at Jack-in-the-Boxes in quite the same way) Really looking forward to your warm and fuzzy holiday story.