home sweet home

greetings from susina bakery, friends.

I'm ensconced in the corner of the bakery, with my back to the window looking in. I've been here for about two hours and every time I look up from this screen, more tables are full. I have my headphones in, you see, with the same playlist on repeat, so unless I choose to look up, I am lost in my own world. I LOVE the playlist I'm listening to, so much that it doesn't matter that I've heard every song on it about a billion times, so much that many of its songs will make some sort of appearance in book 2 -- and these aren't gratuitous inclusions, I swear, since music plays an even bigger role in this book than it did in In Your Room. But I won't say more on that until I'm done.

Want to know something strange? I didn't listen to this mix at all while I was away on book tour. I tried a couple of times, but maybe it was just that my head was in a different space, or that I was physically in a different place, but for some reason, I didn't want to listen to it. I've come to associate these songs, the mood they collectively evoke, with writing. And I guess if I'm not writing, they are better saved for multiple listens when I am, like now.

It feels good to be writing again, to be back, inspired. But, I've also learned that part of getting back into the flow again entails lower expectations for the first few days back. I've lowered my daily word expectation, and am allowing myself to get my head back into the mindset of my characters. And now, after about a day and a half, it's starting to work. I'm back in their heads, reminded of how they're feeling -- and what they face.

I also came back with some ideas for books 3 and 4, and even felt compelled to start writing one of them yesterday. It's a good lesson: sometimes you need to really step away to come back refreshed and inspired.

I had SO much more to say, but my friend just got here for a tea break so will just have to post my thoughts on the latest episode of Gossip Girl later. Hint: it was AMAZING.
x J