What to do next?

I've decided to concentrate on romantic suspense for the moment (although I've got 50 shades of angels and demons kicking around my head) and I'm trying to decide whether to concentrate on

1) A more traditional mystery (a billionaire hedge fund manager asks a private investigator to pretend to be his girlfriend while protecting him from a mysterious enemy)
2) A madcap comedy of errors mystery (a woman finds a dead guy in the trunk of her car, and then her super hot paintball rival finds it too)
or
3) A more traditional romance with suspense elements (new girl in town, hot guy, light suspensiness, circus, think Welcome To Temptation with elephants).

At the moment, I'm just kind of between things and unsure of what to work on next, which is a part of the process I usually enjoy. But, I'm also at a work retreat in northern michigan in the most beautiful lodge you've ever seen with daily activities that end at four (instead of the usual six thirty) so if I know what to work on I could--theoretically--get a lot done.

Summertime in Northern Michigan

Okay, as a raging liberal I hate to admit I occasionally listen to Kid Rock (Detroit's favorite son). However, there is that one song that's been played on every radio station... ever... for the past year or so... about northern michigan.

Here I am in Northern Michigan, and I've got to say, 'Damn, it's beautiful.'

Seriously, you should be here with me, looking out at the lake and listening to the birdies. Okay, I'm mostly listening to the rain, but still...

Northern Michigan. It's a place.

Okay, Detroiters, should I join the YMCA or the Yacht Club?

Okay, so as someone who is younger than many other people it turns out that the Yacht Club would only cost me forty dollars a month. I don't know how much the YMCA costs in Detroit, but previous experience leads me to believe that it costs around forty dollars a month.

All I want is a pool, which the yacht club has.

The yacht club also has a dining room, which I might use, and social events, which I'd probably attend in an attempt to attend more social events of any kind.

The YMCA has exercise classes, which I might use.

Does anyone have personal experience with either of these things?

Detroit Needs A Writers Room

I've been bouncing from coffee shop to coffee shop all morning, trying to find a place to write that wasn't too loud, too crowded, or too pretentious. Or all three! (I'm looking at you Astro's Coffee!)

I can't concentrate. So, I've come to the conclusion that Detroit needs a writer's room, ala, everywhere else in the universe. Seriously, writer's rooms are a thing.

Space is cheap in Detroit. Any old warehouse/office building/castle will do! We just need a couple of desks, some dedicated internet, a great coffee maker, and an industrial printer.

Questions? Comments? Anyone want to do this with me?

Aleah

So, Michigan...

What do people think about Detroit as a setting?

Seriously.

I've been doing polls around the internet, asking people what their favorite settings are. No one has mentioned Michigan. I know, shocking.

Anyone interested in reading about a couple meeting at Campus Martius for live music (like there was last night) or grabbing drinks at Grand Trunk.

I can't think of a more romantic setting than Cliff Belle's. 

Thoughts?

Pretty Amy Critique Giveaway--Or, I'm a sucker for a raffle

Okay Lisa Burstein's having a nifty giveaway (ctitiques, gift certificates, stuffed parrots) and one of the things you can do to "earn" entries is blog about it, which I'm doing.

Yeah. I'm a sucker for a raffle.

I bought ten tickets at the District 13 Michigan democrats caucus the other day. I could have won a flag, but I didn't. I could have spent the money on my own flag, but I didn't. I could have bought coffee, but instead I drank the stuff I had their. It was tragic.

Sigh.

Check out the Lisa Burstein thing: http://lisaburstein.com/Contests_.html

Reasons I love my new desk

I got an awesome desk on Monday. Woohoo! 
I got it from someone at work. She's not my boss, but she's someone's boss, and she's moving soon... so, she offered to sell me some furniture!

When we were talking about the furniture she described it as midcentury modern. I absolutely love midcentury modern, but this desk is not midcentury modern. I'd call it a midcentury craftsman knockoff, but it's made out of hardwood and it's small enough to fit in my apartment.

So, reasons I love my desk:

1. Hardwood.

2. It gives me a dedicated place to write. I will be more productive.

3. It will double (badly) as a table in my teeny-tiny apartment.

4. There are built in bookshelves on the back (hence the craftsman part). How cool is that?

and...

5. The top is smooth and only about eighteen inches wide, so when my cat tries to stretch out on it he falls off. I had some stuff on top until about an hour ago. Since I cleared the top, he's fallen off three times.

I love my cat.

And, I really love this desk.