Something old and something new...

As you've no doubt guessed, I've been quiet here because I'm racing toward a deadline. Book is due Nov 30th, but I want to get it finished before we go to Tarzali next week for another FNQ Romance Writers meeting.
Then I can read it in the car and spend a few days "playing" with it before I press"send". At least that's the plan.
I don't do a quick first draft and then go back and revise. I can't move forward until I'm happy with the previous scene, which means I do a lot of re-writing as I go, so by the time I get to the end, I'm usually just about "done". That's why I write more slowly than many, I guess.
With each book, I tell myself I'm going to write a fast draft straight through without stopping and then revise, but I can never do it. I'm not sure if that's a weakness, like not being able to stick to a diet, or simply my process. I know I'm not the only writer who writes this way.
This current book has plenty of internal conflict and tension until a big climax in the middle and then I have to work pretty hard at rebuilding the tension for the second half. Like kids, every book presents a new and different challenge -- as well as new joys.

Oh, and speaking of new joys -- I watched the first epidosde of Raising Hope last night. Loved it!!!! It's about a young man who spends one night with a muderer (she's a stranger to him), and she subsequently has a baby in jail and claims he's the father. She ends up in the electric chair, so he keeps the baby. It's kinda like The Castle (Aussie comedy film) meets Secret Baby.
The single dad is so sweet and his family are colourful and dysfunctional, but with surprising (small) glimmers of depth. Oh, and already there's a budding romance. I'm looking forward to watching more episodes.

the continuing guinea fowl tragedy...

My deadline is fast approaching, so I'm trying to keep away from the Internet, but I knew I should keep you posted.

Sadly, three of our guinea fowl keets succumbed after the horrors of that first cold night. We've since learned that because they're equatorial birds the babies need to be kept very warm. The one surviving chick has been in our house each night and on a warm spot on the veranda each day and he/she (Gloria or Lazarus??) seems to be thriving. We will take him with us when we go back to Townsville. Adult guineas are fine.

We were supposed to be heading off today, but in a burst of getting as much done as possible before we leave, I spent the morning in the garden and ended up being stung by something nasty.

The blessings of country life, huh?

Right now I'm thinking longingly of my nice comfy city apartment. But I'm getting drowsy from antihistamine, so we'll delay out trip south till tomorrow.

Meanwhile I thought you might enjoy a few snaps of Spring on the Tablelands, and sometime soon I will tell you about Tarzali's centenary celebrations.

Our orchids are doing better than ever this year.

The flame trees are glorious.
A lovely splash of bougainvillea.

And the buddleia is out.