When we went on lock down, I was already feverishly writing one manuscript. I then began another that was only a small blossom in my brain and began a third, an even smaller seed. I am now preparing to teach again and am concentrating furiously on my job; however, I am still making time for writing. This calls for balance. Oh, did I say I was taking German class as well? Or that I have a full-time husband?

The manuscript I concentrated most fully on is the third in my "Jude Mooney" books. Those characters are dear to my heart. When I started "From Ice Wagon to Club House," I didn't think I would write a series of books. I'm still not sure (almost 70,000 words in) just where it will take me, but the characters speak to me in ways I'd never anticipated. They will not let me sleep, but like most families, the Mooney clan live through several eras and go through many changes. I'm not sure that I can take the Mooney family to the places they deserve to go in 100,000 words. Will I need another book? I don't know at this point.

The other manuscript takes place during 'The Troubles" in Northern Ireland. This manuscript began as a short story I wrote for a contest, but the story held great potential. I've loved that troubled land for a long time, and wanted to explore the divisions and causes that define the Republic and the Six Counties. Both of these manuscripts require a great deal of research, and lately, I'm heavy on research and at a pause in the writing--at least somewhat. Of course, I write a scene that leads me toward action, but while I work as a teacher, I can't beat myself up if I haven't written an absurd number of words in a day.

The third manuscript I have wisely placed on hold. It is the story of a pandemic, and at this stage, we have no resolution, no ending. Maybe when the losses we've suffered aren't so raw, I'll write that story. Maybe then.

From Ice Wagon to Clubhouse: The Life of Jude MooneyFrom Ice Wagon to Clubhouse: The Life of Jude Mooney