Why I Want To Be Like Laura

I spend a lot of time in Florida, especially in the winter months. My daughter, her husband and two of my grandchildren live here.

In past years, I've had great writing experiences in Florida: I attended Sleuthfest 2006, and in 2007 I received the e-mail notification that “Strike Zone” had been accepted for publication while I was at my place in Delray Beach.

For a mystery writer, the advantage of living in Delray Beach is the proximity of Murder on the Beach bookstore, where Joanne Sinchuk runs fabulous events, including a profusion of book signings by every mystery writer passing through south Florida during the winter season.

Alas, March 2007 was my last glimpse of the east coast. We are now three hours away on the Gulf coast, where the sunsets are beautiful and probably very inspirational for romance writers. But I write mysteries. I haven’t yet found the bookstore where I can bump into Jerry Healy, Barbara Parker or a couple of mystery fans who will set me straight about what they are dying to read. Half an hour in Murder on the Beach would send my running for the keyboard. Ah, the keyboard! That leads me to Why I Want To Be Like Laura.

Laura writes with a fine fountain pen. I am incapable of writing anything other than condolence letters and thank-you notes in longhand. A two line note to my doctor asking for a prescription renewal requires me to let my fingers dance across the keyboard, print and send the note on its way.

But I can’t print. With all this moving around, I actually carried my old not-so-trusty printer hundreds of miles, stored it in a closet in my daughter’s house and then set everything up in my cute little rental, only to find that the printer is less and less reliable. Every page it spits out has an illegible line or two. So I bit the bullet and tossed the printer. I ran over to the newly opened Staples on Pine Island Road and bought the same printer I have in New York. Only it’s not quite the same. (Next model up, or something, but hey, it came with a seventy-dollar rebate.) I had some trouble with the set up.

Okay, I had a lot of trouble with the set up. The next step is for me to admit defeat and call my son-in-law (the computer wiz) and ask his assistance. Yeah, right. My entire family will tell you that my major flaw (although not my only) is that I want to do everything myself. Asking for help will fling me into a snit for days.

Fortunately, I have reached the decision to ask for help on a day that my son-in-law is out on the Gulf fishing for his dinner. So I don’t have to pick up the phone and admit my inadequacy right this minute. Instead, I’ll just whine to you and wish I had Laura’s ability to write with a fine fountain pen.

Terrie