Massachusetts in September.
Autumn in New England hovers like a tease. Everywhere I look, trees are washed out, leaf tips a promise of the impending show.
But as I dash hither and yon, the people I meet make these trips fulfilling.
Take the lady from Acton-Boxoborough. She came up to me after my appearance and made my day. Here’s what she said.
You know, I didn’t want to be here today. 9/11. So depressing. Every year, it’s one of the worst days. So I dragged in here all depressed, and I’m so glad I came. I wish I could watch you every time I feel down. You lifted me up, turned my whole day around. I’m leaving ready to tackle whatever comes my way.
Yummy 
Woods Hill Table 
Concord, MA
I’m also making progress on my revision.
Like a tortoise crossing a twelve lane expressway, but still. The second draft is where a writer makes most of the choices that define the book. What’s the cemented plot? Where do characters need depth and color? How can I make this sentence more vivid using fewer words?
I’ve rewritten the opening chapter five times.
This step will mean the difference between a meh story and a sizzling tale. I’m determined to weave a sizzler!
UPCOMING EVENTS
16 – 20 September 2019 – Greater Washington DC area
21 – 25 October 20-19 – San Diego
28 October – 1 November 2019 – Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey
13 – 15 November 2019 – Greensboro Tri-Cities North Carolina
Including keynote speaker at Greensboro NC Garden Club!
WHAT I’M READING
The Murder List, a novel by Hank Phillippi Ryan.
Hank was kind enough to read and blurb my first novel. Winner of five Edgar Awards for Mysteries and Thrillers, plus a Mary Higgins Clark Award, Hank is a powerhouse in her genre. And since her latest is set in and around Boston and greater New England, I devoured it one night last week. Highly recommend!
If you’re looking for precise surgical craft with a story, Obreht is a word-weaving master. She finds refreshing, unexpected ways to parse the simplest things. It’s been almost a decade since her debut novel. I’d love to know how many revisions her books go through. I’d guess at least twenty, maybe more. I’m only in the second chapter, so no opinion yet.
BEST THING I READ ONLINE THIS WEEK
Someone’s Gotta Tell the Freakin’ Truth: Jerry Falwell’s Aides Break Their Silence by Brandon Ambrosino for POLITICO.
Many people don’t know I spent my freshman year at Liberty University. After thirteen years of evangelical Christian education, I could not imagine graduating from any other university. My tenure there soured me on Christian schooling. Nothing in this article surprises me, even though we’re over thirty years on.
BEST LIFE HACK
This Yogo folding travel yoga mat keeps me limber on the road. Seriously, if you’re looking for a better travel mat, this one is STELLAR. Lightweight. Easy to clean. A couple of inches thick when folded. Takes up almost no space in my bag. TEN STARS OUT OF FIVE. Ha.
In case you missed it, Andra started a new fiction series. This post, An Unpolished Jewel Is Just a Stone, is the beginning. Come back next Monday for another installment.
To see what else Andra has been writing in series fiction, visit The Aftermath of Death, She Was Venus in Fur, Grief Out of Balance, For the Love of a Gun, Death by Toilet, Biscuits, Gardenias and a Funeral and Everything Dies. She’s also on Medium with a new story HERE.
