Dancing With Another Partner
I’m escaping these next couple of weeks–sort of. I’m pausing my next mystery which is due in early summer in order to return to the characters that have been waiting very patiently in the wings. Molly Malone and friends.
Molly and crew first came roaring into life during the summer of 2006, and I was fortunate to be able to spend most of the summer capturing them on the page. They stormed out, refusing to be ignored, and totally captivated me with their story. In fact, I couldn’t stop writing until “the body hit the floor.”
Yes, it’s a mystery. Of course. Can’t help it. I guess I just like killing people. So, when Molly and crew brought their murder mystery, I was hoooked. When I left them in the fall of 2006 to return to my other beloved characters–and the next book due in the series–I promised the “new guys on the block” that I would return to play with them during the summer of 2007.
And then—-something wonderful happened. My publisher wanted an extra book. Of course, I said yes. But—there was a trade-off, as there often is in life. The only available time to write that extra book was summer of 2007. So—Molly and crew had to sit on the sidelines again. They grumbled, they darted out and stole my attention every now and then, but they stayed in the background. I promised them their turn would come.
When will that be? Well—-this small “escape” is a beginning. I’ve let myself disappear into their world again, and I intend to stay with them for a couple of weeks—writing as much as I can. And then—-I intend to return to my original characters–as I promised–and write their next adventure.
I’m an old-fashioned girl. I may have a dance or two with a new partner. But, I’ll “go home with the one that brung me.” In other words—my first loyalties are to Kelly Flynn and her friends who’ve made this whole whirlwind ride possible. I love them to death and would never shortchange them.
But—-I am planning to try an unusal experiment. Unusual for me, that is. Starting in February when I return to Kelly, I plan to carve out a tiny fraction of each day. Even if it’s only an hour. That hour I’ll devote to Molly & crew. I feel I owe it to them. And—-I’m anxious to watch how their story progresses.
So—I’ll let you folks know how it goes. Whether I’ll be able to do it or not. Meanwhile, wish me luck.
