Writing, editing, throwing pages away, weeping ...

And that's what I've been doing with Murder by the Mile. I'm having to dump about a fourth of the book. Can't save the words. I went a wrong direction, and the destination is bad, bad, bad. I'm having to back up and go another way. The new way will be better. MBTM is a cozy, and that's what my readers expect. And what I'm happiest writing.

I hadn't realized how much my emotional state had influenced the book. I was depressed, angry, and despairing. As a result, my characters were depressed, angry, and despairing. They made all the wrong relationship choices. And the murder mystery got lost.

Well, there's no fix for it except to rewrite it, and that's what I'm doing. How are things with your books? Going well, I hope. If not, join me in the weeping rewriting room. We'll work it out.