What I Know So Far by Alison Henderson

I'm at that most wonderful/horrible point in the writing process--plotting and planning the first book in a new series. Possibilities abound. Yikes! Possibilities abound!! 

Who are these people, and what will they get up to? Those are the questions. My head is spinning. I've got a fun crescendo of events lined up for the first half of the book, and I know the exciting conclusion, but ugh, that third quarter. At the moment, it's a black hole. And I'd like to figure most of it out during the next two weeks because, while I don't do NaNoWriMo, I do belong to a wonderful group of supportive authors who promise to urge each other on during the month of November. Since OG and I are currently in Chicago working on PO&O's new condo AGAIN, I don't have much thinking time.

Here's what I know so far:

• The series will be set in and around Monterey County, from Big Sur to Monterey, and feature three artist sisters--a kinetic sculptor, a raku potter, and a glass blower.
• I know all the titles and the characters' names. Yay! This is critical for me. I can't seem to start a book until I've decided on these things.
• The heroine of the first book flees her controlling, and probably criminal, fiance and comes home to Big Sur. She takes a day job in an art gallery in Carmel.
• The hero of the first book is a Minnesota-farm-boy-turned-forensic-accountant for the FBI who looks like Chris Pratt. 
• The rotten fiance come to Carmel, where he is murdered by an agent of the Russian mob, who then comes after the heroine.
• The owner of the art gallery and his antique-dealer partner are mixed up in money laundering and meth dealing as a result of their gambling-related debts to the Russian mob.
• There will be a variety of minor but hilarious incidents straight from the Pine Cone police log.

Beyond all that, who knows? LOL

Alison

https://www.alisonhenderson.com

It's Photo Contest Time! by Alison Henderson

This past week has been super busy for me, and next week won't be much better. I'm finishing the final read-through of UNDERCOVER NANNY, and my mother is coming for a visit on Tuesday. She doesn't make the trip often, so that means lots of yard work, cleaning, etc. so we'll be looking our best. And this weekend, right in the middle, is the Carmel Valley Garden Club annual show.

This year, I've made two fairy gardens for the silent auction fundraiser and entered four photos in the photo contest. Last year, my photos didn't win any ribbons, but I did sell one, making me officially a professional photographer. Woohoo!

I thought you might like to see them, so here they are:

Goldfinch on the Birdbath

Thunder Across the Valley

Winter Afternoon at Whaler's Cove

Bee in Pride of Madeira

What do you think? Any favorites? I'll let you know if I win or sell anything.

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com 

Lost in America - Finding Your Place by Alison Henderson

I've never considered myself lost. I've traveled all over the world, from Ireland to Japan, and lived in 5 U.S. cities, coast-to-coast. I've found something to like about nearly every locale (except Bizerta, Tunisia. It's a hellhole). But only in the last few years have I felt I've truly found my place. 

misty hills

About five years ago, my husband and I took our first trip together to Carmel, California. I had been once before at age seventeen when my parents brought me and my sister to the West Coast to look at colleges. My strongest memories of that visit were the "scenic" motel with no TV and the famous French restaurant where we were encouraged to eat escargot (my sister acquiesced; I refused). 

After more than twenty years in Minnesota, OG and I were looking for a place that had it all: beautiful scenery, things to do, great restaurants, and above all, mild weather. Carmel fit the bill in every way. The minute we arrived, I was smitten. With every succeeding visit, I became more and more convinced that this was where I was meant to be. Eighteen months ago, fantasy became reality when we moved here full time.

Carmel Valley

The first time we drove inland from Carmel-by-the-Sea and beheld the magic of Carmel Valley, I thought I had reached Shangri-La. A deep sense of peace overwhelmed me, and I knew exactly what the poet Robinson Jeffers meant when he described his first sight of his "inevitable place". I'd like to share a few pictures to whet your appetite for a visit to my little slice of paradise.

Point Lobos

Point Lobos

Big Sur 

View from my deck

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com
http://alisonhenderson.blogspot.com 

The Good, The Bad, The Eastwood? by Alison Henderson

Like most of you, I'm sure, our movie blog theme this month - The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - instantly called to my mind the image of Clint Eastwood. I've never been a big Eastwood fan, nor am I a fan or spaghetti westerns, but I have spent the past year living in Clint's hometown of Carmel, CA. These days he might be a cranky old geezer with a questionable hold on his marbles, who is getting a divorce as a result of cheating on his much younger wife with an even younger woman, but around here he's royalty. He has done, and continues to do, a lot of tangible good for the local community.

Over the years Clint has owned a number of notable local establishments. One of his former properties is the Hog's Breath Inn, a colorful restaurant in downtown Carmel-by-the-Sea. We've never eaten there, but it doesn't matter because he sold it a few years back. However, he does still own one of my favorite properties on the coast, Mission Ranch.

Since it was a gorgeous day, I decided to pop over there and take some pictures to share with you. Mission Ranch is a serene collection of rustic cottages, along with a restaurant and tennis courts, right on the ocean. It's key attraction for me are the sheep grazing in the meadow. After all, what could possibly be more bucolic than this?

Here's one of the double cottages. Could you imagine yourself staying here, overlooking the sheep meadow and the bay?

And here's another one.

Word has it that Clint hangs out in the bar on Wednesday nights, but we've never checked. After all, now that we're locals, purposeful celebrity-spotting would probably be considered tacky. We'll just have to wait for the day we run into him on the street. In the meantime, we'll enjoy the sheep.

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com
http://alisonhenderson.blogspot.com