A man da Hug and Kiss

A man da Hug and Kiss

Some people aren’t that keen on Valentines Day, but I’m not one of them. I like the idea of a day dedicated to showing love and affection to the important people in your life, whether romantic (well mainly romantic) or otherwise. Ted and I spent yesterday together and pre-ordered a four-course meal from a local Italian shop, picking up a nice bottle of wine to go with. Turned out to be a lovely evening staying inside with the -35 degree C deep freeze happening outside.

We’re also preoccupied by the National Scotties curling competition with our daughter Lisa’s team representing Ontario. They will be the featured game tonight at 7:30 EST on TSN. We’ll be cheering them on from home this time around and will be glued to the tv all week.

I got in a bit of writing on a new manuscript but am not certain this is going to be my next book. I’m working on an opening chapter that might or might not go anywhere. Stephen King said that if an idea stays with you and has staying power, then it’s likely a good nugget for a book. I’ve had such an idea that keeps coming up when I’m considering plots so I thought I’d get it started on the page and see where it goes.

I’ve also been working on a synopsis of the manuscript that I just completed as I’ll soon be ready to see about finding it an agent possibly. Securing an agent is as difficult as finding a publisher, but this feels like the right time to expand my horizons. Wish me luck!

A few requests have come in for appearances and I also had a Friday call with my Dundurn publicist Elham Ali, who works in Toronto. We’re starting weekly calls as the launch date for Closing Time approaches. We’re working together to get more exposure for the book and the series as a whole. The initial reviews from bloggers who received an advance copy through Net Galley have been excellent so I’m excited to have the book out in the world.

So, we’ve rounded into the second half of February. Hard to believe Closing Time will be out in about six weeks – you can preorder a copy through any of the booksellers, something I’m told helps move the book up in ratings. My buddy Rick Mofina’s book The Lying House made the Globe and Mail’s top ten Canadian fiction books for a few weeks in a row which seems like a worthy goal 🙂

I’m off to refill my coffee mug and to get this Saturday underway. Have a good week, everyone.