On weekends this summer I have been working on two books at the same time. My WIP, War & Cactus: the story is currently transferred to the plains of Yucatan and deals with unstable marital relationships and globalisation.
Cacti are heavily featured in the story too, and coincidentally I’ve had several cacti blooming on my windowsill this summer. The evidence is below.
In my WIP2, Mr Right for Kurt & My other Experiments, the main heroine Chloe starts her master degree project on environmental toxins in the lab and tries herself as a matchmaker in parallel – disasters and hilarity ensue. The progress on the books is slow but steady, if being a scientist taught me anything – it’s patience
Outside the artistic toil, I have been on a week break to Andalusia this August. Arabic influence gives this area of Spain its distinct charm.
I shall definitely use recollections of this journey as inspiration for writing.
Meanwhile, I’ve read a book about the GULAG life, Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. Unlike many other works of prison fiction, this novella has hope and joy in it. The main character was imprisoned for a non-existent crime like many of his contemporaries, he’s describing his day in the ‘zona’ ‑ his hunger, fear, lack of freedom and, unexpectedly, the joy because of his little victories over all those shortcomings. Happiness is a relative thing, indeed.
I’ll get back to grumbling about the rainy British weather, but I wonder about your accomplishments and adventures this summer.