21 Mar Staying Home!
Good Saturday morning! We’re a week into social distancing as the world tackles CoVid-19, and I hope everyone who can is staying home.
Ted and I are well and puttering around the house except for a daily walk around the neighbourhood. The weather’s been typical spring – rain, sun, cold, warm … every day is an adventure. I think we’ll all feel better once the snow melts for good and we can sit outside in the sunshine even if we have to maintain distance. I’ll soon get my bike road worthy and will enjoy some rides around the hood as well.
I’ve been working on an article the last few days for Crime Reads, an online magazine that discusses all things crime fiction. You can sign up for free and receive the articles in your email. I hope to have the first draft ready to share with my publicist by Monday. I also posted in 7 Criminal Minds blogspot on Monday and you can read the article here. This week the topic is what made us proud in our writing career and in our life.
I also plan to get writing on a new manuscript this week. So far, I’ve done a lot of thinking about a new series but not much writing and I’m feeling the need to get some words to paper.
As I mentioned last week, I was scheduled to be on Daytime Ottawa with host Dylan Black this past Thursday but this interview was cancelled because of the virus. Well, I’m now rescheduled for a phone interview that will be pre-recorded and played when there is an opening from the virus coverage. Hopefully once the clip airs, I can post the podcast.
This is a very difficult time to have a new book released since events have to be cancelled and media, rightly enough, is focused on covering the pandemic. My publicist Elham is working from her home in Toronto with the Dundurn office physically closing. We’ve been discussing ways to publicize Closing Time through social media since traditional events and signings are off the table for now. We had planned to do a giveaway, but with nobody in the office, it would be difficult to mail out the book to the winners. I’m still hoping to have the Ottawa launch May 9 but know this might not happen. I’ll wait until the end of April to decide for sure and will be guided by Public Health’s recommendations. In any event, I’ll post here and on my website either way.
This break from our lives is a great chance to do some reading. You can order books online and download them or have them delivered to your door. I know authors and publishers and bookstores are hurting and every order will help. I’m currently half-way through The Handmaid’s Tale (not the cheeriest book for this time in our lives but still an amazing story) and will follow this up with a mystery by Denise Mina that I downloaded.
So time for my second cup of coffee as I get this day at home underway. I hope that each of you is well and all your family and friends are fine as well. I’ll be back next Saturday morning and until then, have a good week cocooning!