Page One

 A rainy day Monday is on the way... possibly.  We have a 56% chance of rain which will put a damper on things as yesterday was nice, cool and a bit breezy, but then we are in October when warm sunny days chill into the cooler, shorter days of autumn.  When I leave work, it's dark and will continue to be so for the next 5 months.

Yesterday was also busier than I expected at the store.  I sold a blind measure, which no doubt pleased managements.  I had a shutter lead that sold, which I'm sure made them happier then pigs in shit.  Mostly, however, I was bored.  

The first draft of The Body in Motion is complete, I finished it last week, and the first thing I did was throw much of the first 3 chapters.  I did that with The Body Under Ice, too.  When I start a new book, I know how it's going to end; that's the easy part.  Where it begins?  That's difficult.  I've learned that rather than struggle trying to find the focused beginning I just start writing and those things that turn out to be unnecessary get thrown out.  The last thing a writer wants to do is bog down the reader in the first few pages.

Here's an example:  the original title for chapter one was New York, New York, however the book is not about the city, so it's been changed to Cutthroat, which is interest since no one literally gets his throat cut.  So, how much of page one made it into the final draft?  You'll have to buy the book to find out.

House Republicans are back in session today, hopefully to stomp Jimmy Jordan's Mussolini dreams into the dirt.  The last I'd heard was that between 40 and 50 Republican congressmen were going to vote against him becoming Speaker of the House.  Can we talk about have ice water thrown on his little fascist boner?   For him, this is not only about being a Mini-Me dictator, it also has a lot to do with keeping him from being incarcerated for insurrection.  Jimmy knows that the only who has a "get out of Jail free" card is Trump.  I don't doubt he has read ahead and hates what happens when the page gets turned.