A few weeks ago, I was on deadline for Spy of Richmond, and apparently looking for things to do to keep me from meeting it, since I took the time to take a picture of my desk. Sometimes I try to work other places (a coffee shop, my patio, etc.), but this really is my HQ. Allow me to point out the essentials:
- Two computer monitors. One the lefthand screen is my working manuscript document. On the righthand screen I toggle between a Web page helping me with research, or several documents: Chopped Copy (where a lot of hard work goes to die); What If (where I keep on brainstorming even after I plotted the entire book); and Fix It (a list of things to fix later, such as adding mosquito nets to the beds in the summer months).
- Coloring books and paperdolls. I consult these often for help in what the characters would be wearing.
- Map of Richmond. Essential.
- Research books specific to Spy of Richmond on the shelf and spread out on the desk. About fifteen more books are on my Kindle.
- Three-ring binders full of research. I've slipped calendars for 1863, 1864, and 1865 in the front and back covers.
- Hard white plastic massaging tool. One of my kids must have brought this up. If they come in the office, I make them use it on my back. :) The small paper bracelet and bag of candy are also from one of their visits.
- Blanket. Normally I only use this during the winter months, but sometimes I just like to feel it under my bare feet even in the summer. It's just cozy.
- Essential Oils. These are small little bottles you can barely see (look for the white caps) but I use them often. I use Peppermint for headaches, something called Thieves to help me not get sick when I'm working instead of sleeping, and then of course Stress-Away (self-explanatory) and Clarity, which I use for warts. JUST KIDDING. Clarity actually does help me focus. ha ha (I have no warts. Let's just clear that up right now.)
- CVS brand of BioFreeze because I'm out of the Essential Oil kind. Shoulders, neck, and forearms take a beating with typing.
- Toilet paper, because I'm out of kleenex.
- Water glass, because I had met my coffee quota for the day.
- Box of gluten-free Nut-Thins sitting on my mini-fridge, because my GF daughter didn't eat them. (Hooray! They were delicious! Asiago Cheese flavored.)
- Artwork from my daughter, propped up between the printer that works and the printer that doesn't but somehow still takes up space on my desk. (Note to self: fix or remove sick printer.) She made this a while ago, and I'm sure the teacher was very confused by the last line, but I bet you'll understand her perfectly.
Not pictured: the Civil War soundtrack I usually listen to. For some variety, I sometimes listen to The Civil Wars radio on Pandora. But that Civil Wars station has nothing to do with the Civil War. Just happens to be beautiful music, very soulful, and not at all intrusive. :) My friend and author Joanne Bischof first introduced me to these musicians. (Joanne wrote the Cadence of Grace series, set in Appalachia, so this folk music really is fitting for her books! If you haven't read the series yet, start with the Christy Award-finalist Be Still My Soul!) Here, take a look and listen, below.
Now I can clean my desk--and the rest of the house! Spy of Richmond releases in March 2015!
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