So, writing the novella is turning out to be a lot of fun. I was supposed to write a regency but somehow this one was in my head. I have always had a kind of connection with the Civil War, was always interested and so when we visited Gettysburg, I reconnected.

The heroine is a southern bell, living near Fredricksburg in Virginia. She is left to maintain the family farm when everyone she loves goes off to war. Finding herself pregnant at the beginning of the war, she quickly marries the most convenient man. (Not the man she loves--the who fathered her child). Five years later the man she loves, a Union cavalry officer appears at her doorstep. The war is not over but everyone knows the Confederates can not hold on much longer.

The hero returns to his beloved's home. He hopes that when everything is done, he can find a way to convince the heroine to forgive him for joining the Union army.

Ah, back to New York. The next stop on our tour was the first capital of the United States. George Washington served his presidency here.

There are so many interesting sights in New York city as well as the fascinating history. We all know that the Dutch settled on the southern tip of Manhattan Island and the English on the northern part. What I didn't know was that the Dutch who were terribly afraid of an English invasion built a wall across the entire island to protect themselves. It was at this wall they did business with the Indians and other traders. Unfortunatel this wall did not protect them. The English invaded successfully and took over the island. The wall the Dutch built later became Wall Street the heart of our financial district. Soemtimes when they are doing new construction or tearing down old, they find parts of the origional wall.

I'm trying to figure out how to write a 30,000 word novella. My books have all been over 90,000 words. So I look at this as a huge challenge. I suppose I will have to plot, plot, plot and do more plotting. Again I usually have a general plot and then work from there letting the characters guide me. I don't think that philosophy will work this time.

If you write novellas, please log in and let me know how you go about plotting and keeping the word count low.

Launching my new e-pub is getting exciting. I have some great books and the potential for more. The first commuter book should be out in about 6 months so the countdown is on. My friends and colleagues have helped a lot and have given me some great ideas. My family has also been there with great ideas and comments. What fun is this? When I retire I'm hoping this will be well on it's way to keeping me busy and satisfied.

My Civil War book is beginning to take shape and my part of an anthology is forming in my head. I've always wanted to write and be part of an anthology and now I can invite my favorite authors to be part of one of my dreams.

Before Hershey we took a tour to New York City. We came to the island via the Staten Island Ferry and having been there before, the stark emptiness stood out. The missing World Trade buildings brought the reality of what happened that day home to me.

Today is a day to write my synopsis for a proposal I'm sending to Awe-struck. I won't give up my connection to a company which has helped me grow as a writer.

So, I'm off to work and a happy writing day.

After Gettysburg we drove to Hershey. Hershey is a great place and a surprise for both of us. We had no idea that hiding behind the choclate factory was a rollercoster park. We might have opted to spend an entire day there and enjoy the various rides. But we didnt know and we didn't have the time. So we satisfied ourselves with a visit to the choclate factory and the sweet delights inside.

Well, I didn't work on my book yesterday. I worked on things for everyone else. That is okay though. I plan on giving my new book at least an hour today. I know my heroine is a spy/nurse. She is a staunch unionist even though she lives in the South. She does not believe the south should have left the union. So she works as best she can to help bring the two sides back together without giving away her identity.

Juggling is good for the soul. I think. At least I have time to work on all the things I put off during the winter. I'm starting a new book which I said I wasn't going to do for a while. This was all generated by a long-time wish to write a War Between the States book. I visited Gettysburg two weeks ago on vacation and a wealth of ideas were generated. So, today I'm doing background work on the characters and some plotting. Happy writing.

I guess a picture of Gettysburg is in order.