Okay, I am in the middle of Fighter Daddy by my writer pal, Lee McKenzie. Very fun to read. I am loving it. I find it wonderful that she is promoting the idea of condoms. Way to go, girl! It’s about time Harlequin stepped up to the safe sex plate. Although I must say, how many of us would be here if our parents had been so responsible?

Colima is not the safe little provincial town we left last year. The ex-governor, Silvario, was assassinated in November and then a few days later trigger happy cops killed a ‘suspect’ who turned out to be a 58 year old ophthalmologist.

And then there was a massacre of 22 people in a town not far from here in Cuidad Guzman, Jalisco and on and on it goes. Our daily life is much the same but the town seems way quieter and more subdued than last year. It is very sad and angry making what has happened to this wonderful country in a relatively short period of time. According to our friends, the Peacocks, there have been 129 murders in the state so far this year.

If you want to scare yourself, read the article “Letters from Mexico” in the May 30, 2010 issue of the New Yorker by Wm. Finnegan who had the stones to travel to Michoacán and interview both narcos and their victims.

I am trying to wrestle Book #2 to the ground- so far with mixed success. This plot is like trying to combine lemon juice and cream, it just won’t blend. As my friend, and writer pal, Beryl wrote. “To think you could have taken up weaving or become a palates instructor or raised vanilla orchids full time. It’s funny, isn’t it – no one is MAKING us do this.”

So in Book #2, the working title is The Levirate Marriage, Hannah and Isaac are settled in Constantinople and are running a successful silk worm business. All is well until a certain woman appears on the scene from Rome. Then all hell breaks loose.
Stay tuned.