"Up there"...Finally!

Writing this morning from “up there” in Michigan on the wonderful cottage screened-in front porch overlooking a most beautiful lake! Moored calmly and serenely this morning, next to the wooden pier at the foot of our slope, is the Tahoe pontoon. Happy to say that it made it through another winter’s storage and is clean and trim and runs very well. She’s been out twice already, now that the Memorial Day revelers and “warriors” have departed, and she’s ready for another summer on the water.

Glad to report that our “move-in” went very well and the place is now in full operation. As usual, the toughest part of the ordeal was the unloading and hauling of the various items in from the truck and the car. But somehow it always gets done, and this last weekend was certainly no exception.

What now? My plans for my time up here include mornings writing here on the porch, sipping good coffee, making the short run into the little coffee shop where there’s Wi-Fi access, and pontoon “cruises” in the afternoons. Add to all that more daily exercise, cottage “housekeeping,” and catching up on reading all the books I brought along. It’s obvious that I will not be without something to be doing at all times.

Current projects? The Collected Stories project is at the top of my list for completion in the near future. I have one or two more short stories to complete. I’m hoping to have six or seven stories included in the book that I’ll have ready for publication this summer or early fall. After those are finished, I am anxious to get back into writing the sequel to Black Wolf Lodge.

I have had so many folks ask when my next book is coming out, and my standard reply is “I’m working on it and will give it the big “push” this summer.” Well, now that I’m in summer “mode” here in Michigan once more, I suppose it’s time to get to gettin’ without further ado! The book, tentatively titled Sandbar’s Secret, once again features Rick and Karen Brenson, that charming couple who found themselves in a bizarre mystery in Black Wolf Lodge. This time, I hope to develop more of their personalities as they work through another adventure. It will be fun, once more, to be involved in the lives of Rick and Karen and the various other unique cast of characters that come and go throughout the story.

This first week back at the cottage, away from the daily routines of the rest of the year, is always special. There really are no alarm clocks, schedules, or curfews to adhere to. Only mornings of coffee on the porch, enjoying the nature that is all around, and the freedom to decide what to do—or not do. Cool, sunshine-filled mornings such as today’s are truly what flow through our thoughts in the drear of winter. It’s all good…CortlandWriter