Kristin Butcher... has novel ideas

    The older I get, the faster the years slide by, and I'm willing to bet that 2008 went by faster than any year so far. Perhaps that old adage is true -- Time flies when you're having fun. All I know is that I certainly did have fun in 2008. If I could use that year as the template for every year, I would.

    Who knows -- maybe I am, because 2009 is already shaping up to be just as spectacular -- on a personal and professional level. But since ths blog is focused on writing, that's the topic I'll stick to. 

Life is way too busy right now.

You see, deep down, I'm a slug. (Okay, fine -- I'm a slug all the way through.) The point is I like life to move at an easy pace -- get up, make the bed, plan supper and spend the rest of the day doing whatever comes along. Some people like to cram as much as they can into a day, but that is so NOT me. Read a little, write a little, go to the gym every other day, watch some TV in the evening. That works for me. I am the sort of person who puts Eat Breakfast on my To Do list, and when there are more than two items to attend to on any given day, I get tense.

    Well, here it is ... the cover for Return to Bone Tree Hill, the murder mystery coming out in March from Thistledown Press. I don't think my son is crazy about this corn image, but I love it. Of course, I know how it relates to the story, and he doesn't, so I have a slight advantage. Once he's read the book, we'll see if his opinion changes.

For a small community, Campbell River has its fair share of authors, and from time to time those of us who write for children like to get together. Yesterday was one of those times, so Jocelyn Reekie, Heather Kellerhals-Stewart, and I packed up our potluck offerings and headed off to Dayle Gaetz's home for a wonderful lunch. Caroline Woodward was unable to join us, so we took the peaches she had canned and left with us previously and turned them into a cobbler dessert. The peaches were yummy, Caroline. Thank you.

Lunch was super, and Dayle was a wonderful hostess. We talked non-stop for three hours. We could have easily continued gabbing another three hours -- but we ran out of time. So we have no choice. We'll just have to get together again.

Two weeks ago Canada held a federal election that garnered the lowest voter turnout ever. Yesterday, our neighbours to the south held their federal election with the highest voter turnout ever -- which would have been even higher if Canadians had been allowed to vote. It's sad to think that Canadians care more about who leads the US government than we do about who runs our own.

On the other hand, how could we not be caught up in the hoopla? The whole world was! The outcome of the US election promised to be an historic moment, and Canadians had front row seats. 

We writers are idea people. As we stumble through life we are continuously having revelations about the things we experience -- big things, little things, odd things, normal things, a sound, a sight, a smell -- there's no predicting what will strike a chord and set our imaginations in motion.

I am wonderful. I don't mean I'm fabulous or fantastic. I mean I'm full of wonder. I wonder about stuff -- all the time. Around age two, children start asking why. I just never moved on. I'm still asking why, mostly to my husband, who -- if he's in a generous mood -- does his best to come up with answers for me. Other times he just tears at his hair and complains, "How the heck should I know?!"

I'm sure other people wonder about things too; they just don't say so. I mean how can you not wonder about stuff.

Such as?

All those emails people send that don't reach their intended destinations. Are they all floating around in cyberspace? And what would happen if someone found a way to gather them all up?

With two of my books going out of print this year, I was pleased to learn that one of my older titles has been granted a new lease on life.

In its prime, The Gramma War did very well. It got good reviews, was shortlisted for a number of awards, and sold quite a few copies. It has been one of my most successful books so far. But it's been seven years since it was first published, and the bloom is off the rose, if you know what I mean. The book has had its day.

I generally have a collection of books sitting around waiting to be read, or -- if I do make a trip to the library -- I am after a specific title. The times I actually wander the stacks with an open mind are few and far between. But my mother, who labels herself a voracious reader, goes through at least four books a week. So I asked her how she decides what to read.

I've finished the revisions for Zach & Zoe in Double Trouble, and yesterday I emailed them to the publisher. Now it's time to vacuum, dust, clean the bathroom, and do some laundry. Yes, as preposterous as that sounds, we famous writer types still get to do housework and other mundane tasks. Ugh. But if I get right on it and don't procrastinate (ha!), I could be done in a couple of hours and then ...