Things are never dull in Bellingwood … and that means there is always something going on up in my mind.
My husband spent the weekend here in Iowa – we hoped to have lots of sunshine so that he could traipse around the neighborhood with his camera. We had a little bit of sunshine and of course, today storm clouds settled in and we’ve seen nothing but grey and rain.
However, Max did some quick cleanup on a couple of shots from yesterday and one or the other will be perfect for Book 10’s cover. Now all I need is a title … oh, and to finish the book. But, all in good time.
As we were driving toward Boone today, I stopped and said, “This is the Bellingwood corner. The town is just over that way about a mile.” He laughed at me. Every time I drive past it, though, that’s what goes through my mind – it’s the Bellingwood corner. In the last month or so, I drove up from Boone and it was getting dark and I could swear I saw enough lights off to the east for it to be a small town. I think the farmer over there is messing with my brain. Or my imagination is a little out of control.
Then Max asked where Polly had gotten run off the road. Well … the first time, it was on this highway, but the second time was over to the west several miles … on a road that I don’t like to drive because it is so twisty and turny and uppy and downy. It scares me enough that I avoid it. I suppose I should have told Polly that before she made the attempt.
We stopped in at the Tunnel Mill canoe access … just to see if there was anything there that would be good for a picture. The light was all wrong, but the pickup truck sitting in the parking area could well have been Henry’s as he and Polly walked with the dogs back in the woods.
The other day I asked on the Facebook Bellingwood page who you’d like to see me write the next vignette about. It started off strongly for Beryl and soon moved to Eliseo … and then to Jeff. The thing is, I need you to know that these vignettes are just a quick glimpse at something they’re doing while I’m in the middle of writing the next book. I don’t get too in-depth because of the huge number of readers that never get to these stories.
I know you’re desperate for more about Jeff, Eliseo, Sal, Sylvie … everyone. The funny thing? Their stories are pretty organic and will happen when they’re ready to tell me what needs to be told. And, when the story is told from Polly’s perspective, that’s the view you get to see. Jeff’s story will come … and then, another story about him will be told in the future. That’s just the way the series is going to go.
I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the events in my books happen over the course of a year and we glimpse two – three week sections in each book. Since I intend to be writing these for a very long time, each individual’s story might not happen for a while. I’d been intending to write Aaron’s story since Book 1 – and it didn’t show up until Book 9.
The other funny thing is that I never intended for Jeff to be a primary character. He was there as a support system to Polly. When I first got started, Polly, Lydia, Beryl, Andy and then to some extent, Sylvie were who would figure centrally in the storyline. Well, LOOK how that turned out. Talk about having to keep up with the characters! They had their own agendas and it was all I could do to hold on for the ride.
The same thing with Eliseo. He came in so that Polly had some freedom from the nitty gritty daily work in the barn. All of a sudden, he was a major player in the story. Sal was a link to Polly’s life in Boston – and she decided to move to Bellingwood so she could be part of the books. I needed a librarian and Joss & Nate became close friends with Polly & Henry. These people will not leave me alone.
I have more characters who are clamoring to move into Bellingwood. There’s one right now that might show up at the end of Book 10. I’m trying to get him to hold on for Book 11, but he’s getting pretty noisy. He’s going to move into town and stay and he’s already told me what he’ll do once he gets there. He’s going to frustrate some of you (and that makes me giggle in a big way), but he’s a great guy and I can’t wait to introduce him to you.
Max heads back to Omaha tomorrow morning and I’ll be able to write again. I tell you what. Having things go on in my life is directly proportional to my being creative. If stuff is going on, I’m not writing. So, I’m glad that I have a clean place, my laundry is done, the cover for Book 10 is in process and … tomorrow it all stops and I go back to work.
First thing = a short little vignette about Jeff. Because he’s a hoot!
Oh, here’s a little hint (about 20%) of the cover I’ll be using for Book 10.
