Vacation? Or Writing Retreat?

It’s amazing to be standing here, on the other side of the last few weeks. All of our stuff has been safely transported across four states, and Amber and I now live on Jupiter. Jupiter, Florida. (I’m trying to convince everyone on these parts to substitute “on” for “in.” Both seem technically correct to me — this is Jupiter beneath our feet. And yeah, I’m already getting strange looks from the locals).

I also have the trip to New York behind me, which was a flurry of interesting and not-so-interesting meetings. The offers are coming in, and one actually made me sit up straight. No, it wasn’t a bunch of zeros written on a napkin and slid across a desk. There’s one publisher out there with a different vision, it seems. A publisher breaking ranks. I swear, if this kind of thing becomes common, it’ll turn the industry upside down. The others will have to scramble to compete or they’ll be crushed.

Okay, enough about that. The hectic trip to New York is behind me, as is ConCarolinas 2012, which was an absolute blast. I met a ton of awesome writers, got to hang out with a handful of fans, spent time with an old friend, and learned about “filking.” I could get addicted to cons. Even Amber had a great time, and she’s one of those “cool kids!”

Now we’re in Florida. On Jupiter. Our days have been a mix of fun and hectic. Writing in the morning, unboxing stuff, trying to get projects done to the house (HOAs are crazy!) and running an endless list of errands. I won’t bore you with all this stuff. The accomplishment of each one, however, greatly lessens my stress. As did our house in Boone closing. Things feel manageable again.

Which makes the timing of our vacation absolutely sublime. Amber and I planned this trip back in February, maybe earlier. We weren’t even sure we’d be living in Florida when it came around. Our 10-year anniversary fell at an awkward time for her work, so we set up a trip to the Bahamas during the summer and delayed the celebration. We leave tomorrow for Staniel Cay for five nights of practically nothing. Staniel is a quiet island in the Exumas. Snorkel, sit by the pool, drink a Kalik, write about zombies.

I have no idea what the internet availability will be like. It’s been 6 or 7 years since I’ve been to Staniel. So, I may not be replying to emails and Tweets as I normally do. People say this is part of vacationing. It sounds like hell to me. I will be writing, however. I’m trying to have the zombie mess out in July so I can get back to the silos. This also means that signed books will go out today, but future orders will have to wait until I get back. Apologies for any delays incurred!

Damn, this is nerve-wracking. I’m thinking of how my routine works right now, and putting a halt to it for six days sounds awful. Hopefully I’ll feel differently once I’m over there. Hopefully you cats are still around when I get back!