Well, dear readers, last night at around seven o’clock I finished my new novel, the fifth in the Adriana Hofstetter mystery series. I have never written in quite such a white heat on a fiction book, but I just felt the passion and urge to plow forward and I was kind of having so much fun doing this one I really wanted to see how things were going to turn out. This book is a little different than its predecessors, which was fun for me. It was grand to be back in the world of Adriana Hofstetter and as soon as I wrote the book’s final line I was already sad, but also elated. Of course, I will await Muse Margaret’s word on the final ninety pages or so, and I’m hoping she likes them. I barely remember starting this book on January 1, and I’m always astonished when I look over and see a huge stack of finished pages on my kitchen table. I find it a somewhat mystical experience – nothing but blank pages that are suddenly filled with words and somehow a story and character and plot. Things evolve and occasionally go in directions that are complete surprises to me. I didn’t really know for sure about the ending until about a week ago. And I really like that – as I’ve said, for these books I go on the journey with Adriana and find things as she does. It enables me to not be stuck to a rigid outline – it enables me to look around corners I might not look around. I think this book may have more food in it than any previous Hofstetter mystery. And, as always, we do get some good historic LA visits.
I always have the titles for the Hofstetter books before I begin. But this one was interesting in that regard. When I made the decision last May that the new book would BE a Hofstetter book, I thought it would really be fun to do a mystery in the world of book collecting, and at that time I was going to call it Murder at the Book Fair. As months went by and I thought about what might happen in such a book, I was not loving the idea of having the third Hofstetter in a row set in an older adult world, where she’d be interacting with older people. Plus coming up with a plausible mystery about book collectors wasn’t jazzing me much. In December, I really thought I did not want to do that book, I wanted her to once again interact with people her own age. That meant it was back to the school setting. And I thought, what could be fun about that? And I immediately knew that the book could take place during a production of the school musical. As soon as I hit on that, I couldn’t wait to start. That way, Billy Feldman, Adriana’s best friend, would have a really good part in the book and it would just be colorful and fun, with Adriana doing a story on the production from first rehearsal to opening night. Of course there’s a mystery to be solved, as there always is. And I thought dear readers of this here site would be especially pleased with the musical I chose. And so, I’m happy to reveal the title: Murder at The Music Man.
And so, my thirteenth book is done, save for whatever finessing, futzing and fixing I do on yesterday’s pages, and if Muse Margaret has anything she wants me to look at. And, as always, as I like to say, I didn’t end up writing the book, the book ended up writing me.
Prior to finishing the book, I’d had a day of, well, writing. I got up at six, announced the two new Kritzerland titles, then went back to bed for a couple of hours. I got up at nine and began finessing, futzing and fixing the previous day’s writing. That took a while, because I added some things, and smoothed out a lot of stuff. Then I began the new pages. I got stymied right away as I began the penultimate chapter. It was tricky. In the end, I went with the little brainstorm I’d had the night before about how to handle the first part of the chapter. I’d started it that way, changed my mind and done it another way, then went back to the brainstorm way, which I think worked out okay. I wrote about four pages, then went and had a patty melt and no fries or onion rings. Of course there was no mail and therefore no packages, so I came home and wrote another six pages right away. I was going to take a break, but I was in that mode so I wrote more pages and finished the chapter.
Then I watched the first twenty minutes of Woody Allen’s To Rome, With Love, which I found not very interesting – and I don’t think it’s going to get better.
Then I went back and decided to just mush on and finish the book. I really was in that mode. I’d done the hardest part, and the final chapter was only going to be around eight pages, so I just did them and hoo and ray, I finished the book.
After finishing any book, I’m basically an emotional wet rag, so I went and met a friend at Republic of Pie for a celebratory meal of mac-and-cheese and coconut cream pie. I’ve heard such raves about this jernt and I’m sad to report that the raves all emanate from youngsters who know nothing of pie and everything of trendy – to them, trendy equals great. Well, why don’t we all click on the Unseemly Button below because I must get a good night’s beauty sleep.
Today, I shall be up by nine and I’ll try to do finesse, futz and fix everything before I leave for my teeth cleaning appointment with Dr. Chew, which is at eleven. Then I’ll come back and finish, if I already haven’t. Then I’ll print out those last twenty pages (the final two chapters – I’ve already printed out the other seventy, since those were already finessed, futzed and fixed), get them all Xeroxed and then deliver them to Muse Margaret around twelve-thirty. Then I begin my serious weight loss diet for as long as it takes. I shall eat under 1200 calories a day, and I’ll either walk or jog as much as I can. So, it will probably just be a sandwich, or some eggs or something light but amusing like that. Other than that, I have no plans, other than starting the contextual commentary and hopefully getting Muse Margaret’s report, which I hope will be favorable.
The rest of the week I have rehearsals with the singer each day until her show on Sunday. But they’ll only last two or three hours so I’ll have time to finish my commentary and begin prepping the next Kritzerland releases. I also have to make a show order for the Kritzerland evening. I should be able to get some relaxing in, which will be very nice.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, finesse, futz and fix yesterday’s writing, I must have a teeth cleaning, I must print pages, I must Xerox pages, I must deliver pages to Muse Margaret, I must eat, I must perhaps walk or jog, I must hopefully pick up some packages and do some banking, I must hopefully hear a good report from Muse Margaret, I must begin a contextual commentary, and I must relax. Today’s topic of discussion: Pasta day – what are your favorite pastas, where have you had the best pasta dishes, and which pasta dishes do you like to make? Let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, an emotional but elated wreck thanks to the finishing of a book. As I always enjoy paraphrasing my close personal friend, Mr. Stephen Sondheim: Look I made a book where there never was a book.