Since January, I’ve been on a necessary writing break.  Illness in the family, a new job, and a long-distance move definitely took precedence over my love affair with my laptop.  I hope to never see another cardboard packing box in my life.  My keyboard was idle, but my mind never was.  I made the thousand mile trip to my new home by myself–my family having arrived earlier–and there was a lot of time for deep thinking and some planning of my next book.  I also re-visited some of my earlier books, just to say ‘hi’ to some old friends.  I still really like them.  Now, my boxes are unpacked (well, most of them), the dog is almost through with his emotional collapse, and my job is winding down for the summer.  That’s right, I found a job that gives me the summers off.  I’m getting smarter with old age.  It is time to say good-bye to the real world and delve back into the corners of my mind where new characters and new plot twists have been waiting, not so patiently.  One of the nicest things about being in a new locale is the new inspirations.  I’m in a place where the sun never stops shining so there are plenty of chances for people watching.  Writers never stop making up stories about people they see out and about.  I’ve spent a lot of nights on the beach recently just studying people and trying to figure out their story.  I also found out that I live just a few miles from a world-famous author.  Not that I would stalk him exactly but if I happen to see him walking along the beach…who knows what may happen next?  How are we to know how a copy of one of my books just happened to end up on his front porch?  Life is a mystery, right?