Warning. This post devolves pretty quickly into ramblings and memories. You might want to skip this one.

Did you ever have one of those days that culminated in you wanting to scream the F word from about fifty different places in your home? I did. But I went to visit one of my very good friends before I totally lost it and I’m feeling much better now. But really, could we please not have any more days like that? Thank you.

When I put up my Kickstarter Project (No this is not what made me want to scream obscenities. That had to do with my lovely children, cooking, heat and broken things. It shall not be spoken of again.)

When I went to launch  my latest not likely to fund Kickstarter Project I felt I needed a better working title for the fourth Bree Mystery than Bree # 4. Or Bree 4 restart, which is what the .docx file is titled. So I spent about three seconds thinking about the story and what Bree was doing, and another four seconds thinking of songs. Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees popped into my head and I thought, “Good enough.” And it was.

My youngest doesn’t like Stayin’ Alive because there is no twist on the song title. She says Stayin’ Dead would be better even though it makes absolutely no sense in the context of the story. Not that it matters when it’s just used as a working title.

I’m at that point again where I have to start thinking about naming this book. There used to be this couple, marly and r, who hung out on Arghink. They would make lists of titles for me. And then they would test them out on their friends. I just loved that. I love the team feeling, the fun of the game when people engage me with title ideas. The fact that they would then test them on their friends was icing on the cake.

I think about marly and r whenever I’m thinking up titles. I wonder where they are and if they are still together. If they are both healthy and why neither of them has turned back up even though surely his tour of duty is over now. I’m worried about them, as silly as that sounds. Two people I’ve never met, but who engaged with me in a meaningful way, who I had fun with and was grateful for and to. They’ve gone missing – and I know that’s what happens on the internet, we didn’t really know each other after all – but there is a hole there. Even though I get to play with lots of other people creating titles and characters, reaching out across the internet to make friends, there is still a hole.

So if you are out there marly and r, know that I am wishing you the best lives and the most fun, and all good things. I miss that short time we had together. There is a place inside me where you will always belong. Be well. Be happy.