Rewrite time!

For those of you who have been following the progress of THE ALTON GIFT, the next Darkover book, it had been scheduled for this August, but after a long discussion with my editor, we agreed it needed major revisions. So I am happily taking it apart and putting it back together with ultrakewl new stuff. The down side is that we do not have a release date. Heartfelt apologies to anyone who has been waiting with bated breath -- I promise you it will be worth the wait!

I say, "happily" because I do enjoy this part of writing. Not every writer does. I love moving things around and seeing what alchemy results.

spring?

Spring appears to be giving us a sneak preview. We've had daytime highs in the 70s, and, as they say, "the sap is flowing." I went for a "wildflower walk" at work on Tuesday and counted 12 varieties (I include non-natives like periwinkle, forget-me-not, and Scotch broom). At home, the first asparagus spears have poked their heads above the insulating straw, and the flowering quince -- bright coral blossoms -- is exuberant. We're nearing the end of the grapefruit crop and will get maybe another half dozen. At a certain point, it's hard to tell the ripe (which have been on the tree 12-18 months) from the ones that flowered last spring and are still little and bitter but have now turned yellow like the others. Size is sometimes helpful, also ease of picking. At some point, I just give up, call it quits, and wait for next winter.

Nights and early mornings are still frosty, though. Rose and I have been leaving early to do driving practice on the way to her morning classes. By midday, it's time to shed those warm clothes, so layering is essential. We may still get cooler weather and more rain. Rain, although messy, would be nice, as it promotes a generous blackberry crop. But we are enjoying the sunshine so much, I would not presume to instruct the weather gods.