Labor Day

by Linda O. Johnston

            It's the first Monday of the month, and here I am doing my InkSpot post after Tj O'Connor, who posts on the first Thursday.  I'm usually before him, and last month I posted on the first day of the month.

            So... Happy Labor Day, everyone!  I hope everyone who celebrates and gets the day off is having a wonderful time.  I also hope that everyone who doesn't get the day off has a wonderful time... including me!

            Labor Day isn't a holiday for me--not exactly.  In fact, as a writer, I have very few days off.  Generally, I write, and/or edit, seven days a week.  Weekdays?  Sure.  Weekends?  Yep.  Holidays?  Almost always.  Vacations?  Depends on where I'm going, how I'm getting there and all, but again, almost always.  And in any event, even if I'm not in front of a computer or otherwise involved with the writing or editing process, my mind is always working on another plot, either something I'm committed to write or an idea I'm working on in the hopes that it'll turn itself into a new story that'll be published someday.

            This month, I'm looking forward to... next month.  That's when my next book--my next mystery for Midnight Ink--will be published.  It's UNLUCKY CHARMS, my third Superstition Mystery, and my fingers are crossed that everyone has as much fun reading it as I had writing it.

            That also means that, in addition to writing, I'll be involved with promoting my new release. I'll be on a blog tour most of the month, plus on Sunday, October 2--the day before my next InkSpot post--I'll be in Huntington Beach, California, at the Ladies of Intrigue event where I'll be in wonderful company, including Carolyn Hart, Rhys Bowen and Robin Burcell.

            Then again, later this month I'll be on a panel at the Woman's Club of Hollywood, not far from me.  Not sure what we'll be discussing but I know it has something to do with mysteries, since a fellow mystery writer set it up and the other panelists also write mysteries.  So... well, I should add to that paragraph above that I'm nearly always busy letting people know about my stories, and that can again happen on weekdays, weekends, holidays and vacations.

            Not that I'm different from other published authors.  But I was a practicing attorney once upon a time, when I actually did get time off from my job.  And know what I did then?  On top of raising my kids... I wrote!

            So, again, Happy Labor Day everyone--and may you spend it doing something you love.