Nancy Wood

It’s been a long time! I shut down my previous website, nancywood-books.com, a few years ago (though I still own the domain). I just couldn’t keep up — after Due Date was published in 2012, I blogged successfully for about 2 years. I had a robust interview column, where I interviewed other mystery/thriller authors, which was a lot of fun.

But then, I got a full-time job, which also involved a hefty 1 to 1.5 hour commute each way, 4 – 5 days a week. I kept up the blog for a while, but soon gave it up. I managed to continue scratching out chapters of The Stork, but without any continuity, it took a lot longer than I expected. Each time I returned to it, it was hard to pick up again.

Last year, I retired. Wow. It was quite a year — my husband and I traveled across the world, from Spain to New Zealand and Sri Lanka, finishing the year by staying for 3 months in Ghent, Belgium. (Check out our blog at hansandnancy.wordpress.com.) I’d lugged my computer along, and many days, I took my computer and headed to De Krook, Ghent’s brand-new library. On the way to the library, I’d pass the Royal Conservatory of Music, where I could hear snatches of Bach or a violinist or a rock band or a soprano practicing her scales, the sounds tumbling from the open windows of a 500 year-old building. On the return trip, I’d stop in to St. Bavo’s Cathedral, a Gothic cathedral completed in 1569. Truly inspiring.

At the library, as I’d settle into my hour or two-long writing session, I’d first count my lucky stars, and then let the sounds of Dutch and Flemish blend into the background. I started by reviewing my notes from Mary Carroll Moore, who’d completed the developmental edit of The Stork. Then, I dug back in. I read, re-read, edited, revised, removed sections, and moved other sections around. Finally, I completed the manuscript. When we returned home, I submitted it to Solstice. And here I am — hooray!

I’m not sure when the book will be published; hopefully in 2017, but we’ll see. I’m happy to be blogging again and looking forward to re-connecting and meeting new authors and readers!

I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to — Leave a comment below, or send me an email at nancywoodbooks[at]gmail[dot]com.

Until next time,

Nancy

PS. I just started a photo blog (I’m blog-crazy, check it out at: nancywoodphotos.wordpress.com.)