Well, Not Quite Yet....

 

This was the same chair I was sitting in just a few days ago, sipping coffee in the sunshine and thinking about summer.
Oh well.
Happy spring!
Jools

Last Day of Winter

I love the first day of spring, even though here in Bend it often means gray skies and cool weather. That first day feels important though, that we all made it through something. Maybe it's because I've been through some real crazy winters here, like last year. Once in a while, I really like those insane winters, especially if I can hunker down and write. Last year as the snowfall was breaking records, I was writing the first 44 book and all that white powder I watched pile up outside really helped me create the atmosphere in the book.


This year has been practically the opposite. Except for a few dramatic snowstorms, our winter has been mild, with a lot of blue skies. We've even had some warm days where I was able to sit out on the deck and sip coffee. My kind of winter...

But even with the mild weather this winter, I'm still really happy to welcome spring and even happier to be putting the snow shovel back in the garage.

On another note, 44 Book Four will be out in early May sometime. I don't have the exact date, but I'll know soon. Thank you to those who have asked! I love writing this series and it's a thrill that there are fans out there waiting for Book Four.


Happy last day of winter everybody, and hope you all are having a great week!

Jools

On The Road With Abby and Jack

As I was finishing up Book Three last month, writing about the Puget Sound, I decided that it was time to take a little vacation. I still had quite a lot of work ahead of me, so as the days and hours went by the idea became an obsession. I wasn't sure where to go, but I knew it was time to take a little break from the computer and get out of town for a week or so.

And then it came to me. Why not go up north like all the characters did in Book Three? I've always liked it up in the Puget Sound area and used to go up there quite a lot. And even though it's a little chilly this time of year, I realized that it was the perfect place for a little vacation.

So last week, we made our way up to Seattle and then on to Orcas Island (about 113 miles from the city).

Up above is the Space Needle, as Abby might have seen it from the backseat of Jack's truck. And down below, fresh ingredients from Seattle's Public Market, probably a place where Simon would like to go every day....

I thought that I may have seen that small, expensive island on the ride over to Orcas Island, but I'm not sure. There were some large beautiful houses on the islands we passed and possibly a "guest" house as well.

Abby would have been pretty happy to have found this, even though it was closed for the season...

A pizza that Simon would have been proud of served up at Roses in Eastsound on the island....

Back to the mainland.....

And then back to Bend!

Hope you're all having a fabulous weekend~
Jools