The Rumble of an Approaching Storm

I hear the rumble of an approaching storm in the distance and the wind has picked up. The dog-walker has gone by, getting in her walk before the storm arrives. By the end of the weekend, the weatherman is saying we will have had twelve inches of rain this week. My hope is that people are very cautious with roads that may be flooded, or worse yet, washed out. Sometimes drivers can’t see that the road isn’t there because they come upon the damaged area suddenly, or they are driving at night, or water covers the damage. My words of wisdom are just to be careful. Don’t risk your life for the sake of a few minutes.

Exciting events of late (besides that milestone birthday and celebration): a distant cousin and I have reconnected. It’s fun to think that way back, generations ago, we had the very same Irish and Cherokee ancestors. He lives in another state and I’ve never seen him, but it’s nice to know there’s a connection.

Another thrilling event: By the Fright of the Silvery Moon is in the editing stage! My publisher sent the manuscript with editors corrections and suggestions and now I’ll go through them meticulously and agree or disagree. I especially like the notes the editor makes or questions she has. This helps me because a reader may have the same questions and I want everything to be perfectly clear–well, except for the murderer. I hope that keeps everyone guessing until pretty much the end of the book.

Storms play an important role in this book, in fact, weather of all kinds. Yesterday, here in NWArkansas, we had fog. In Fright, fog is a determining factor in Ned McNeil’s life being in danger:

Afraid to slow down and afraid to speed up, I drove through a gray netherworld, mist swirling before my car’s headlights like bodiless wraiths.

I like weather! That’s why it figures so prominently in all the cozy mysteries. I also like people. Each person has his or her story. Some of those individual stories unfold in this newest book. Fog, sunshine, rain–it’s all there. And, like this morning, Ned McNeil hears a lot of rumbles from approaching storms.