THE ILLUSTRIOUS CLIENT

All that reading and re-reading of THE HOUNDING as I revised and edited it, not only led me to fall back in love with Shirley Combs and Dr. Mary Watson and the original story, but it made me downright itchy to write the next adventure in the series. I promised myself that as soon as I had all my deadlines met I would launch right into The Illustrious Client, and so I have. I'm having a great time. The game is afoot: I'm lining up the characters, beginning with Colonel James Damery who made an appearance right at the end of The Hounding. Next I had to choose who the illustrious client would be, of course, and begin building a story from the dust motes of the Sherlock Holmes's story "The Adventure of the Illustrious Client." As history is picked up, shaken out, and put back down, only the dust motes remain in the room, and from them I build a story for Shirley and Mary to share with their readers.
I've written character backgrounds for Oceane Chartré [Beaudet] a 20 year old pop star from France, and for her fiance Lucas F. Hansen, a Danish playboy/businessman who looks 30, and is about to have his looks ruined by an ex-girlfriend Borbála (Bori) Eszti whose background I wrote today. She's a beauty with a Lipizzaner farm from Bana, Hungary who is going to throw acid in his face here in Portland on a yacht where he and Oceane are moored for the Rose Festival. Bori is stalking him and plans to make a quick getaway.
Unfortunately, nobody is going to get what s/he wants for awhile. This is a murder mystery. Shirley, Mary and I will be the ones having all the fun, and that only because we are working and enjoying what we do. Stay tuned if you want to read about the process. Feel free to ask questions too. And, please! Share your own process. I'd love to hear it.

Two more to go!

Well kiddos, we're nearing the end of the book! Two more Tuesday nights and the end of the memoir will be here. I hope you're enjoying it as much as I am enjoying reading it to you, and that you'll come back to hear me read my mystery novel, The Hounding.
Also, coming up the first week of June, Lillian and I will be conducting a workshop in writing for radio theatre. I've done some of this myself and will be leading the workshop. The number of participants will be limited to ten however, in order for everyone to receive individual feedback on her or his writing. We'll be doing this over the internet, conference room style, webcam, in 90 minute sessions for 6 weeks. So if this is something you've wanted to try, this is the place to come because you'll be workshopping in an actual (well virtual) radio station.
All best to all of you. Hope to see you on the webcam soon! sdh

If a tree falls in the forest ...

How many weeks have I been reading now? I'm near the end of Chapter Nine. I have one faithful listener that I know of for sure, and there's evidence of others but I haven't read or heard your feedback, so I don't know if you keep coming back or shut me off after a few minutes. Hard to say. I thought writing was lonely sometimes! Ha! Nothing compared to reading aloud alone in my room to my phone and wondering whether who is tuning in.
When I finish the memoir, I will read my mystery novel "The Hounding."
On June 3, the station owner Lillian Cauldwell and I will produce a radio writing workshop. I will lead a writing for radio seminar, a 101 type of thing. One on one feedback, 90 minute sessions, a limited number of participants. We want to produce radio theatre, like the old days, but with today's writers. This will be fun, and it will be affordable too. Watch for it!