Autumn in the Eastern Sierra

It's good to be back at Mammoth Lakes in the Eastern Sierra, enjoying the fall foliage.  Before I get into that, though, thanks to everyone who has downloaded my latest novel, Enemies: A War Story.  Thanks, too, for all of the great reviews so far!  Sales are coming along, but if anyone who has read it wants to help out by adding their own review, just click on the link above.  Thanks!

But on to the foliage part.  California doesn't typically get much in the way of autumn colors, but this part of the state is the exception.

Up here in the mountains, we get some gorgeous stands of aspens, in full glory this time of year.

Having just returned recently to California from another extended stay in Europe, I got back just in time.

It's great to hang out up here, get some writing done in the morning and then take some afternoon hikes.

Right now as I write this it is pouring rain, with lots of hail mixed in, but here are a few more shots from this past week:

 

From Russia with Love

One thing that's nice about being an itinerant writer is the great excuses it gives me to visit all sorts of exotic locales.  When I wrote my first thriller based on the character of Natalia Nicolaeva, I spent a week in Istanbul scouting locations.  That book, originally titled Natalia, never did sell very well.  I think that the title had something to do with it.  Natalia just didn't say anything much to clue in potential readers what type of book it actually was.

Flash forward six years, and I am hard at work on a sequel.  Not only that, but I have a third installment planned as well.  I will start with a new series of titles and new matching covers.  The books, in order, will be called Russia Girl, Vendetta Girl and Spy Girl.  The locations will be Istanbul, St. Petersburg and London.

Given that I'd never actually been to St. Petersburg before, or Russia at all, I decided that this must be remedied.  On that count, I just spent a lovely three-day weekend there taking in the sights.

I must say, I found St. Petersburg to be a charming city, and the people I met were all very gracious.  All in all, it was a great weekend and now I've got all the insight I think I need to set my story there.  One of the scenes takes place at the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood, as seen over my shoulder above.  I already have a rough draft done, and I think this novel is going to turn out to be another good one.  If all goes well, after Spy Girl I will move on to Mystery Girl, set in a city to be determined.  For the time being, keep your eyes out for the relaunch of the newly titled Russia Girl, coming soon!

Back in Budapest

It's good to be back in my home away from home.  I first came to Budapest in 2009, looking for an atmospheric, inexpensive place to live and write.  That year I spent the summer here.  Since then I've lost track of how many times I've been back, but it must be around nine or so.  Each time I get an apartment, settle in and spend the days writing in my favorite cafes and my evenings hanging out with the friends I've made around here.  It's not a bad life.

In the meantime, I finally finished the novel I've been working on for the past two years!  Enemies: A War Story is out now on Amazon as an ebook and a paperback. 

No reviews so far, but I'm looking forward to that first one.  Anybody out there game? 😉  Either way, it's nice to finally have it out there.  Now on to my next book.  After a long break from this story, I'm hard at work on a sequel to my Natalia novel and things are heating up!

Summer Down Under!

Ah, life is good when the summer is endless!  One of the great things about life as an itinerant writer is the option of flying south for the winter.  Not that winters in Southern California are so bad, but for the next few months I've decamped for the milder climes of Australia.

I'm here visiting good friends at Lilli Pilli Beach in New South Wales, four hours south of Sydney, to relax and and pound out my latest novel revisions.

Ironically, the high temperature down here at the moment (in summer) is identical to what it was in California (in winter), when I left just a few days ago.  Both are round 73 degrees (23 C) for a high, but here in Australia it gets dark at 8:30 p.m. instead of 5 p.m., and the temps are much more pleasant at night.

So, no, I'm not struggling through the epic cold weather that they are currently experiencing in the eastern U.S., but my heart does go out to you all there!  I was actually born in Cleveland, Ohio, where I am sure it is downright frigid at the moment.  All I can say to any east-coasters or midwesterners is, hang in there and I'll keep you in my thoughts!