November edits

Only a few weeks past my self-imposed deadline of August 31, I completed the first draft of the sequel to “The Aquamarine Necklace”. Working title? "A Dish Best Served Cold". Hours of edits and revisions are ahead, I know, but at least the story has bones that I can now flesh out.

Before I get into my November “to do” list, here are some of my October highlights.

“The Aquamarine Necklace” was selected by two book clubs: the Happy Valley Readers Book Club and Hidden Hollow Book Club. Meeting new readers is scary! Will they like the book? Will they point out the errors and inconsistencies that I REALLY tried to avoid? To my relief, the readers were kind, and their reviews favourable. Whew. I loved hearing everyone’s comments and answering questions, especially those about the topic of family legacy and obligation that my main character faces. Thank you to Shirley and Bette for hosting these two events, and for the delicious snacks.

I held my first author meet-and-greet at Analog Books in Lethbridge on October 15. Chatting with fans and even scratching a couple of them behind their ears made for a

wonderful time. A few more events are in the works, and I’ll post locations and dates on my website and on my facebook page. www.facebook.com/bonny.beswick/  as soon as they are confirmed.

I shied away (mostly) from the grocery aisles laden with Halloween candy. Instead, I found these delicious fruit-covered ice cream bars that are made right here in Alberta! They’re a new product, so you probably have to make a special request in your local supermarket to get them brought in. www.friceys.ca. They come in a variety of flavours—raspberry, haskap, saskatoon, blueberry, and sour cherry.

Now, what about November? Other than the aforementioned book signing events (TBA!), I’ll be spending long hours at my laptop working on edits and revisions, and a couple of short story projects.

Bouchercon 2026 www.Bouchercon2026.com is less than a year away! I’m on the Registration Committee, and I encourage all of you to sign up for this amazing international event to be held at the Calgary Telus Convention Centre. Come meet Kathy Reichs, Louise Penny, and more of your favourite mystery and suspense authors.

Although I have no special events planned this month, December’s going to more than make up for it. I’ll send out a blog in a couple of weeks and tell you all about it.

Given the world’s precarious geopolitical situation, now more than ever, this is the time to remember the sacrifices made by more than 118,000 men and women who have died in the service of our country, by the hundreds of thousands who have been injured, and by those who continue to serve. Wear your poppy with gratitude from the last Friday of October until after the memorial ceremony on November 11.

Lest We Forget

Best wishes for a wonderful November. Here’s hoping that all we need are cozy sweaters, and not parkas and snow boots.