Hot Lobstermen, Messy Middles & Seriously Exciting News (Next Week!)

Winter sunsets are the best!

Hello magical friends!

Basking & Well Done

I'm still basking in the glow of a ridiculously full, nonstop holiday season. We're talking kids home from school, a half dozen houseguests rotating in and out of the beach house, two big parties, three whale-watching trips, and some really fun times babysitting for my Pokémon-loving 6-year-old niece. I also volunteered making jewelry at the old folks home, went out for two steak dinners, cracked some expensive champagne and got to go out thrifting a few times. Toss in some tidepooling, a few beach walks, and a dozen spectacular sunsets, and you can stick a fork in me. I'm well done.

My WIP, however, is not.

The Messy Middle

One thing that was a little tough with all the fun happening in my home was setting aside time consistently to work. I really, REALLY wanted to have this novel fully finished by the end of January. But as of tonight, I'm only about halfway through a rather messy first draft. I am 53k words down and slogging through the murky middle. 

Although it's been a sloggy process, and I'm not as far along as I wanted to be I can tell I'm going to be happy with it in the end. As long as I don't get too crazy and try to rush it. Some things just take longer to fully unfold.

I've decided, in the wise words of Dori the fish, to "just keep swimming" and trust the process. The nice thing about back-burner projects like this one is that they don't have drop-dead deadlines like some of my other things. I'm recalibrating to get the first draft done by January 31st, when I really must set it aside and get to work on some other stuff.

What other stuff? 

SERIOUSLY EXCITING STUFF.

I know, I suck for dropping little hints and not spilling the beans (and they are some really, really good beans) but I promise I will reveal all in the next newsletter. In the meantime, I'll tell you a true and recent story. 

Confessions of a Hot Lobsterman Spy

During the winter at the beachhouse we don't get to spy on as many proposals and weddings at the gazebo. But that's ok. We get to tune in on another channel for my other favorite personal reality show that can only be viewed live, in real time, from my back yard. We're talking about Hot Lobsterman Season!   (Cue catchy theme song) 

Who are the Lobstermen? They're a group of fishermen who set lobster traps just offshore from the beach house this time of year. As I sit at my desk facing the ocean, I often catch sight of them as they come around to check their traps. And let's just say there is one guy who deserves at least five sticks of butter.  This mystery man, my friends, is Hot Lobsterman. 

Whenever I hear the buzz of that little skiff's motor, it's showtime! I run for the binoculars so I can watch Hot Lobster Guy reel in the trap and go through his catch. I love that first glimpse where you get a glimpse of the chicken wire box and how much is in there. Hope surges as he measures the shellfish one at a time. He keeps one or two sometimes, but most of the time, he tosses them back. Side Note: Hot Lobsterman is very ethical and eco-friendly, apparently. He always tosses the little guys back. Even when they're rigggggght at the line.

Its probably a sign that I need ADHD meds that I drop everything when he comes round. I always find myself rooting for the Lobsterman to catch more lobster. He works so hard, and when the trap doesn't have any keepers, I'm a little bummed for him. I imagine myself beaming a message to him - telepathically saying "That's ok dude!" and "Better luck next time!"  I've also started imagining all kinds of magical stuff that could end up in the traps. Like a Gearheart Locket from the Natural Magic series. Or, if I'm feeling like I'm in more of a crime fiction mood, a human hand. And of course I find myself inventing all sorts of backstories for Hot Lobsterman. Some days he's a vampire, and others he's a spy, working a deep cover. 

By now you're probably all scratching your heads and reconsidering   my sanity. But I will not apologize for my obsession with the Hot Lobsterman. Instead I will tell you, the next time I get asked where my ideas come from, I'm just gonna  call it and say "Hot Lobsterman."    He and I have a lot in common. Every once in a while we hit on a keepier. But for the most part, we're in the business of tossing things back and giving them more time to grow. 

Bottlenose dolphins we saw while whale watching (above). We also spied a Fin Whale but they are far less playful!  

Below is a shot from our whale watching boat, showing one of the buoys in the area where the Lobstermen leave traps, and the beach houses on the bluff above.