Choose Your Words Carefully

Hello, my friends! Lots going on here, and I thought it was about time I shared with you again.

First, the title of this piece. I was going to call it “I Might Strangle Sue This Week”, but my co-author and dear friend Sue (Susan Wachowski) thought the Interweb Gods might frown on that. It’s violent. So I suggested throttle instead of strangle. She said no. Then I said, how about defenestrate? She laughed and said, you can try. It’s your website.

And this is how it goes when Sue tries to push me to make friends with technology. She generally has to drag me kicking and screaming into the digital world. But hey. You get a newsletter this month! Win-win!

Anyhoo, my next bit of news is that my new novella in the Love and Larceny Historical Romance series, The Gunpowder Plot, will be coming out shortly. Possibly next week, depending on when formatting is complete. It’s the second release in this series, the first being the very short, but very cute The Christmas Caper, which, as it happens, is becoming timely again. So if you like historical romances, and you like ‘em short and sweet, please check it out here! 

In other news, the gardening season is finally over. Like usual, I had big plans and very little success executing those plans. The good news is that I wound up with about 11 pounds of tomatoes. That bad news is that I had to buy 8 of them from Aldi in order to have enough to can. But WIN! I canned three quart jars of tomatoes—that I must have not packed well, because there’s an awful lot of liquid in those jars after processing. (And yes, those are cans of home-canned “ugly” chicken behind them. THOSE are easy!)

Le sigh. And it took way more time and energy than I ever imagined. All the coring and peeling and coring and peeling. I might perhaps have romanticized this process. Big surprise, right? I’m pretty sure next year, I’ll grow them to eat and get my “cans” of tomatoes from the store. 😊 Next week: making my own butter with my KitchenAid. LOL.

I have also been researching many bizarre things for the new series I’m working on. It takes place in the same universe as The Harrogate Chronicles, but twenty years in the future, and chronicles the adventures of a crazy crew of misfits aboard an airship. This means that I’m back to falling into historical rabbit holes. One of the fun ones was exploring Victorian men’s neckwear. I’m familiar with cravats, bow ties, and the like, but I wanted a particular type of tie that I could see in my head, but didn’t know what it was called. How does one ask the Interweb Gods to find an image that only lives in my head? Fortunately, I am occasionally resourceful and don’t mind spending an hour, or three, or perhaps even longer, on these little expeditions. I finally found what I was looking for: the four in hands necktie. Not quite a Windsor knot but similar. Except of course for the size of the tie – ah, for an age when men were allowed to be peacocks!

Finally, Sue (my Harrogate Chronicles co-author) and I will be at a book event in Lisle, IL on Sunday, November 15^th, 1-5 pm. If you’re local, come on down and check out the wonderful authors (besides us) who will be there. It’s in a brewpub, BubbleHouse Brewing Company, so big points there, and there will be a food truck as well. Should be a terrific afternoon.

Happy Bonfire Night, a week late! IYKYK! And as always,

Illegitimi non carborundum

Nan

www.nansampsonauthor.com