Saturday, June 19, 2010

June Heat

The heat has settled over Ottawa like a warm blanket . . . and it's not a dry heat. Ottawa summers can be so humid, you're left with curly hair and the need to stay inside with the air conditioning cranked up. In 2001, we were renovating our house and had the air conditioning disconnected. It happened to be one of the hottest summers ever. We would go into our neighbour's pool before bed and just float there for an hour or so trying to get cool. I'd go to bed with an ice pack between my legs and would wake up an hour later with the ice pack warm and no use whatsoever.



Lee Child. An American author I met at Bouchercon two years ago in Baltimore. He's a tall, quiet man who writes the Jack Reacher series - I'm currently reading Gone Tomorrow, which starts with Jack trying to prevent a woman from committing suicide on a subway train. Jack is an ex-major in the U.S. army who's given up on living a conventional life - he travels around the U.S. without any possessions, plans or family - he always ends up in a heap of trouble and always with a new woman who ends up alone but better for having known him. Good escapist reading if you're looking for a new author to read.



My latest manuscript is coming along. I'm about half way through the first draft and still not sure if it is all hanging together. My plan is to keep on until the end and then reshape and edit. Summer holidays are coming soon and I'll have more time to write in my deliciously cool air conditioned office. Happily, this year, the renovations are going on outside. Our front steps are now a heap of rubble and the deck has been hauled away in pieces. We should have a completely new deck . . . well, before the snow falls. My husband is doing all the work himself and he tends to take a long time on projects. He's a perfectionist who also likes to go golfing . . . and in the big scheme of life, who really needs a front door anyhow?

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