I love May. It’s one of my favourite months of the year and despite a recent and much needed rainfall, we’re now enjoying sunny days and warm temperatures. As you’ll see from the photos, spring flowers are still blooming around our house. As we go for our daily walks, it’s fun to see the gorgeous flowers that have bloomed in our neighbourhood. Birds are everywhere and lawns are a rich green.
On the downside, I’ve been dealing with seasonal allergies which hopefully won’t last long. I’ve gone through a lot of tissues and am not quite as energetic as I have been, but that’s okay. It won’t last. After taking part in three separate in-person events last weekend, the downtime is welcome.
To date, I’ve only sent out two queries to agents. I know others advise to do so in batches, but I’d rather go slowly right now. Many authors describe the querying process as a nightmare. Queries are either ignored or not responded to for many months. A small number of agents might request to see the entire manuscript (one never submits the entire book in a query), which requires months of more waiting, only to wind up rejected. But I’ve been through this and know what to expect. The long time lapses will allow me time to write and edit the next two installments in the trilogy, so it’s all good.
I’ve pushed past the midway mark in the first draft of book #2, and am at about 65,000 words. I’m down to the last third where conflicts come to a head. It’s a funny thing, but action scenes take the longest to write. I find myself thinking and rethinking every word and paying close attention to how the action is playing out. I expect the last part will take a while to write, but that also depends on my momentum. This week, it’s good. Next week, who knows?
This weekend, we’re hosting a family BBQ to celebrate Mother’s Day. It’s the first BBQ of the season and my son will be making his fabulous steak sandwiches with fried onions and mushrooms, and an amazing sauce. To all the moms out there, I wish you a very Happy Mother’s Day!