Curling up under the covers

I don't know what it is, but now that the days are shorter and the weather is cooler, I'm having a heck of a time dragging myself out of bed in the morning. So much so that I haven't had time to read the comics -- which I usually do over coffee every morning -- in a week. Is it just me?

With the nippy mornings, I've also readjusted my schedule; usually I walk first thing and then go to my favorite coffee shop to write. Lately, though, I've been reversing that, and squeezing in about an hour of catatonic time (with or without a good paperback) under the comforter at home in between. It's got to be the cold weather.

Now, I know that highs in the 60s isn't frigid for most people, but when you've adjusted to daytime highs in the upper 90s, it is a bit of a drop. And this morning felt positively frosty at 47 degrees; the kids were wondering once again if snow was in the forecast. (They still remember the miniature snowman they made two years ago -- it was so small they used peppercorns for eyes, and it melted like twenty minutes after they finished it.)

It's a wonderful time of year, though, with Thanksgiving right around the corner and the Christmas season on its heels. One of my favorite parts of the season is that tingle of anticipation when the first Christmas displays go up. (Of course, these days that happens in September in some places, but I just try not to look until at least mid-November.) I love the smell of hot cider, and this year I even got one of those Pumpkin Spice air fresheners from Yankee Candle for the front hall. The only downside is that whenever anyone comes in, they ask what I'm cooking, and they look so totally crestfallen when I tell them it's cauliflower...

And I'm ahead of schedule on everything but shopping this year, so I'll be able to take a few weeks off and enjoy the season. Things are buzzing along on the writing front; I finished the proofs for Dead and Berried last week, and am about three writing days from the big finish on the first Sophie Garou book -- and have been delving into the U.T. library doing research for the next one. I'm having a blast, even if all my vampire and werewolf reading has kept me on the lookout for wooden stakes. Seriously.

I'm off to cook dinner now, but watch this spot for more recipes soon... including the winning recipe from the Muffins are Murder contest.

Enjoy your Turkey Day preparations -- I inadvertently volunteered to make the turkey for my son's class next week (it has to be ready by 10:30 A.M., so I'm welcoming tips), so I'm sure I'll have smoking turkey stories soon...

Speaking of cooking, I'm about to waddle off to the kitchen to make dinner.

Ta for now!

Hello? Hello?

Well, I've taken an inadvertent blogging sabbatical... but I'm back now.

Just in time for the holiday season, when we'll all have oodles of free time! Right?

Anyway, for the last few months I've been editing manuscripts, putting words in on my work-in-progress, teaching a couple of classes on writing, shepherding children, and cooking a ton of recipes. I must say, though, I've missed blogging, even though I've still been doing my Thursday Cozy Chicks posts.

On the writing front, I'm looking over the proofs for Dead and Berried, finished the final edits of Beads of Doubt, and am almost done with the first Sophie Garou book.

And... (drum roll here please) I'm happy to announce that we have a winner for the Muffins are Murder contest (the judges tackled it last weekend). although competition was fierce (we had a TON of entries), the winner was Barbara Hahn's Berried Lemon Medley Streusel muffins. Look for the recipe on my web site soon -- also in the Spring issue of Bed and Breakfast America Magazine and in Dead and Berried, which will be out in February.

As we swing into the holiday season, I'll be posting some of my favorite recipes -- and will be blogging far more regularly, assuming my laptop (which has died TWICE recently) continues to function.

More soon!