Family Trees, Boreal Forests, and Camping in the Rain

Well, hello, my friends! It’s been a couple of months since my last blog, so I thought I’d pop in and give you some updates. It’s been a busy summer, and while I haven’t been terribly active online (including YouTube, where my weekly-upload streak ended rather prematurely), I’ve been getting a ton of writing done. Let’s dive in, shall we?

Emma’s Story

…Is currently 75,963 words and counting. So much for a short story, huh?

You may recall that earlier this year, I began writing a mini-series called Character Crossroads, where I explored “alternate universes” for some of the main characters from my series. Well, Emma was supposed to be the star of my next Character Crossroads plot, but her story ended up being much longer and more complex than anticipated. After a few weeks of writing, I had no choice but to admit I was writing a prequel to my long-distance-romance-turned-ranch-family-saga series.

Now, here’s the funny thing: not only is Emma’s Story (not the official title) much longer than expected, but it also gave me a killer idea for a seventh book (MMB7—also not the official title).

I know, I know. I’m over it, too. But at the same time I’m… kind of excited? Marketing has always been a sore spot for me—I can never seem to stick to a brand and I think my audience is 99% crickets at this point—but in a way, this realization has been liberating. I’m finally writing for myself again, just like I did when I was young and had no grasp of how the publishing industry actually worked. (Truthfully, I’m still mystified… I guess that’s the closest I’ll ever come to having a consistent platform. The Bemused Littérateur.)

A Psych Thriller Set in Northern Ontario

Picture this: a paramedic in a small Canadian town finds herself embroiled in a local mystery while trying to piece together what really happened to her brother, who is lying in a coma after an early-morning hit-and-run. Izzy’s got some skeletons in her closet, but they’re nothing compared to the demons from her past—including a stalker with unfinished business and a pathological need to be seen.

I originally wrote this story in 2018, at a time when I was struggling with a few “inner demons” of my own. Izzy turned out to be the perfect conduit for channeling my feelings onto the page, but as with so many of the stories I wrote in my twenties, her plot lacked any clear direction and suffered from information overload. Now, in revisiting my outline, I’m able to see where it all went wrong…

Diving back into an old idea is intimidating and complicated. It’s like meeting up with a friend you haven’t seen in years and realizing you only know who they were, not who they are right now. And I know some of the feelings that drove me to write Izzy’s story the first time will inevitably resurface in the process of re-writing.

But that’s okay. After all, writing is supposed to be personal. Even after all these years and all these stories, I still wonder if I’m truly a writer, especially when I’m blowing dust off my blog every two months or adding “draft Author Newsletter” to my weekly to-do list. (I’ll get around to it, I promise.)

The Great Outdoors

Let’s wrap this blog up on a high note: Dan and I went camping last week. After a crazy-hot summer in which we spent nearly two months under a province-wide fire ban, we finally got some rain. Of course, this overdue downpour happened the same week we decided to go camping at the Warsaw Caves, located 25 minutes outside of Peterborough, Ontario.

You might think this sudden change in the weather would put a damper on our summer vacation plans, but no—the cooler temps were ideal for hiking. Less so for sleeping in a tent, but we survived, as Canadians do when faced with brisk conditions.

Even though we couldn’t have a fire, we got plenty of use out of our Olympia camp stove. We purchased a three-pack of fuel canisters and were surprised to discover that one bottle lasted nearly three days (roughly six meals). And the best part was, we were still able to roast marshmallows over the tiny butane flame. When the going gets tough, the tough melt a little gelatin and call it a day.

The first time we stayed at this campground, it was too hot to do anything but splash around in the Indian River. This time, we decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and lighter crowds to see the whole park. We hiked the Limestone Plains trail (both the main, 4km loop and the “big” 7km loop), explored the nature trails around the group camping area, visited the “kettles” (vertical cave system), and of course, checked out The Caves (which were, as you might’ve guessed, cavernous).

Most of the hikes are rated as easy to moderate, with mild elevation gains and lovely views of the Otonabee Conservation area. You can pick up a map at the gatehouse on your way in—bring good hiking shoes.

And of course, if you’re headed out to see the falls, don’t forget to carve your initials on this decrepit picnic bench. Life’s but a fleeting memory, after all, but the written word lives on.

Anyway, my friends, that’s it for now. Thanks for sticking around, even when I don’t have much to say; I work all the time and to be honest, my day-to-day routine isn’t particularly exciting. C’est la vie.

Ciao!