As I'm writing this, I'm checking something in the manuscript for My Outcast Heart, so I can tell Tim-the-artist. Also listening to Billy Joel sing "Goodnight Saigon" from the Millenium Concert album, and have been surfing the net and my bookcases for a good picture of a 1710s era buckskin coat. All of which has melded in my mind that "Goodnight Saigon" is the start of one heckuva battle scene if I can transport it a few centuries back in time. Billy's a NY boy; he'd understand, I'm sure. That choral refrain of "...and we will all go down together," repeated, gets me every time. Kleenex, please. Thank you.

I read here that Maggie Osborne is now officially retired. Moment of silence, please. Drat, drat, and double drat. I'm not a western girl for the most part, but the grit and the real emotions of her books made her an autobuy, and I'm going to miss knowing that the fall will bring a new Maggie. Shoot, I'm still in denial over Megan Chance, though I do need to go get her An Inconvenient Wife as soon as humanly possible. Her historical fiction rawks. As in Lost-level rawks. Seriously

Hmm, bunny trail. Must get back on topic. Fans of the American set historical have been saying for a while that they'd love to see more stuff in this vein, and maybe that's part of what's combine with all of the above to put the "hey, I really love writing about colonial NY" bug in my brain. The book I'm currently writing is 17th century England and Netherlands, the next on deck will also be English/European, this time 18th century (around 1740s or so) ::pause for air drum solo during "We Didn't Start the Fire" -- be glad I have no webcam:: Then I do have two more colonials outlined, and notes on another. Doing both English and colonial books feels right somehow.

My characters do also seem to have an inherent tendency to hop on a ship and search for adventure, and I'm looking forward to that, too. But I'm still going to miss Maggie Osborne.