This winter has provided ideal weather for sitting inside in the warmth, working on writing a cozy mystery involving kidnapping, dog theft, a bit of romance, and a hefty dose of learning about making premature assumptions. My working title is Bridges of Courage: Anger, Acceptance, Forgiveness.

 Here is a summary of the plot: Nina wants to have a peaceful summer away from her hometown. Still, her new friend, Clay, suddenly disappears, and she needs to determine whether he was kidnapped, as the police believe, or if he ran away after the two of them had a serious argument. Was she partly to blame?

As I’ve wrestled with the novel’s plot and strategized its next events, I’ve been taking breaks to relax and increase focused attention by compiling and organizing my non-fiction book for caregivers, describing strategies for self-care, stress reduction, and mindfulness techniques that are inexpensive, not time intensive, require no travel, and can be shared with those you love! More to come on Beat A Retreat: An Invitation to Care for Self and To Love Life (a working title).

As always, my work takes twice as long as I originally planned. Being a beginner in a new field is just that way. I’ll keep you updated on my progress. The best part is that Miss Calli, my sidekick Yorkie-Chon, is ever-present and an excellent administrative assistant! While I yearn for the icy winter weather to end, Calli luxuriates in warm snuggles while I type.

Take care, my friends, stay warm, and be well,

Suanne