Welcome to Funnel Rock Cove

Happy Monday, My Flowers:


Kate has inspired me to try sharing some of my writing process with you. I'm taking you to Funnel Rock Cove on Whidbey Island where my current story is unfolding.


I can see the cove ('cause I've been there) and the bluff where Two Chimneys Cottage stands, and the dense forest surrounding the cottage. There is a bar and restaurant called Gabriel's Place and a lovely shop run by a fae lady. The werewolves hang out in one place, my spectacular werehounds in another and I haven't yet decided where the vampire puts himself.

Niles Latimer, Leigh Kelly, Sean, Ethan, Gabriel, Molly, Jazzy the dog, Cliff Ames, the chef and Sally his helper and, of course, Skillywidden, tiny hairless cat the color of polished silver and as soft as silk, have come to me as my preparations progress.


Each story has a seed at its center but that seed needs a whole lot of attention to turn it into the stuff of fully developed fiction. Niles and Leigh have taken many hours of my time to "flesh out," including work on their speech patterns, voices, mannerisms, attitudes to ordinary and extraordinary situations. I have to know what they want. And I have to know what they don't want or won't tolerate.


In the case of Two Chimneys I must also understand the worlds these characters come from and why they are all together in this one place now. Conflict, conflict, conflict--what has gone wrong and what more may go wrong, and how will they deal with potentially life altering (or terminating!) events.


So far I've written twelve chapters of this book and it only grows in fascination for me. I love it when a character--nice or not so nice--walks into my line of vision and cracks me up.


Leigh has had a rough time of it most of her life. Then, when she thought she had achieved all she could want, she lost the most important element of it again. Now she is determined to quit feeling sorry for herself and get on with making a fresh start. She's a bit snippy sometimes and even can be tough because she had to be when she was growing up--but she is someone I would love to have as a friend. Niles agrees with me but he has his own mountains to climb, not the least of which is his being a werehound.


That's a little peek inside. I'll give you more non-storykilling tidbits as I go along but I do love reading about the way people work.


Fondly,
Stella, Millie, Jazzy and Skillywidden!


If you have any questions about writing I'll do my best to explain what I do and I expect my sisters in crime will have a few gems to add.


Also, I would like to collect some favorite Christmas recipes here for people to share. Please would you send any contributions to me at pushpen@hotmail.com?