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Good morning, Ladies ~ This blog finds me traveling … again! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining, but I may be a wee bit tired.

This time last week, I was up and packing, ready to Uber to the New Orleans airport for my trip home after a fabulous ten days of exploring Nola. Oh, the stories, but my favorite was a Pirate Tour and learning about Jean Lafitte and his brother, Pierre. Of course, I soaked up the tour guide’s stories about this legendary duo and found a few tidbits worthy of including in my time-traveling middle-grade fantasy book, “Midnight Sail,” which is now going through final edits.

At the end of each book, I include the first six chapters of the next book, which in this series, The Cormack Chronicles, will be “Robin’s Hood.”

What is it about a blank page, the cursor blinking in anticipation of the first word, that is so exciting? I get almost giddy when I type the book title into the heading bar, then smile like a Cheshire cat as I tap out the first chapter’s heading. When I set my fingers to my laptop’s keyboard, it feels like I’m uncovering a secret, and I can’t wait to see what unfolds.

When I was in Nola, we did a plantation tour of Oak Alley, which was overwhelming in its history and beauty. As a kid, I grew up climbing the oak trees on our farm, but the majestic oaks of Oak Alley were breathtaking. The trees are massive and are estimated to be five hundred years old, with a longevity of up to one thousand years. Also, unlike the white oak trees in Oregon, the live oaks in Louisiana do not lose their leaves in the fall; they do so in late winter, when new leaves begin to unfurl.  My girlfriends and I walked from the main house to the road, which was originally the Mississippi River, now diverted by a large land levy.

As we strolled along, absorbing the plantation’s history, I spotted an interesting oak covered in Spanish moss, with long, heavy limbs brushing the ground. Besides the tree’s beauty, I thought I saw something interesting in the trunk. And hence, the theme of my next middle-school fantasy book was born.

In “Robin’s Hood,” my three kids are drawn to a large oak in Sherwood after they finish taking sword-fighting lessons. Alex, my hero’s friend, finds a medieval sword. Jaxyn, their logical female friend, lectures Alex about holding the sword, which might be a portal key. And Cyrus … he thinks the tree is talking to him.

The next thing you know, the trio has been teleported to 1857 and the budding settlement of Sherwood, where they find themselves caught up in a melee after Sheriff Elias Black disqualifies Nathaniel Robbins as the winner of an archery tournament.

And then …

I’ve never been an outliner, but I do jot notes about the beginning of a book. Then, usually when I’m trying to sleep, my brain comes up with interesting scenarios for my characters. I love the energy that comes with starting a new book. And even though I outline, I always have a clear idea of the three arcs needed to keep a reader interested.

Once I had my first two chapters, I needed a plausible reason my three middle-schoolers’ moms wouldn’t miss them while they’re trying to return to 2027. Enter Cyrus’s friend, Toby, a week at summer camp, and a red robin.

I’ll only write the first six chapters of “Robin’s Hood” before moving on to the first book, “Murder on Superstition Mountain,” in my “Sapphire Stone Mysteries,” but once my brain has the theme of this book, it will keep offering ideas and plot twists even while I’m working on a different book.

The reason I’m moving on to another series is that I will be living in Mesa, Arizona, this time next year, and I’d like to have a book to promote in my new surroundings. My husband and I have decided to sell our home in Donald, Oregon, and then split our time between our small place in Mesa and our small cabin on the Siletz River just south of Lincoln City.

Like starting a new book, beginning this new chapter in our lives is exciting. As I do with my books, I jot down ideas for where furniture might go. About what to sell, donate, or keep. About … how to relax, write, and enjoy this next chapter of my life!

Happy writing, Ladies ~