A Blizzard, a Q&A, and Revising

Maybe it’s because of my Minnesotan roots, or because we don’t get huge snowfalls too often in Connecticut, but I like shoveling. Give me a big, two-foot dumping of snow and a decent shovel, and I’m at it. I’m a machine, a mole, a survivor. I like separating off the top layer in one stroke, and the crunchy, digging noise of scraping sidewalk with the second stroke. I like throwing the white stuff in piles that grow ridiculously high and impressing myself with how strong and industrious I am.

When a police car drove slowly by, I waved. Imagine my surprise when the two policemen pulled over and helped with the path.  One even insisted, disarmingly, on using my shovel. It was nice, and once they were gone, I still had plenty more to do, so I could still feel noble.

These days, I’m a guest author for the David Estes Fans and YA Book Lovers Unite! group on Goodreads, which is fun not only for its superbly long name but for its upbeat, positive, book-loving people. I’ve had a nice time connecting with David and his team behind the scenes, and the questions for the Q&A, like who is your top book boyfriend? are a hoot. The whole scene is wildly tempting to me, and I’m only able to resist chatting around there non-stop because I’m revising.

It is nothing new, to be revising, but my novel is in a sea-change phase, gradually shifting into something richer. Instead of casting about hungrily for any idea that might work, I’m able to sink into particular scenes and ponder them longer. It’s more satisfying than earlier stages, and completely engrossing. Have I said before how happy I am that I’ve received an extension on this novel? It’s even sweeter than shoveling.