The Writer's View by Marilyn Leach

This post is part of a Virtual Book Tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions.  Marilyn will be awarding an e-Book copy of her first book, Candle For A Corpse, to a randomly drawn commenter at each stop, plus a grand prize of a $20.00 gift card to the Pelican Book Group website to a randomly drawn comenter during the tour.  Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

My Writing Spaces by Marilyn Leach

I love to write.  And I love to dream.  That’s a rich combination that makes writing a delight, no matter where it is.

I’ve written in so many wonderful places: snuggled up in an overstuffed chair with my notebook computer at the local bookstore, the proverbial coffee shop where people-watching feeds ideas that land in a story, a seaside cottage on the Jurassic Coast in the South of England that sends the senses to new heights.  Trains, class lectures, sunlit parks, and quiet libraries are all a part of my repertoire of spaces where I’ve spent time putting electronic words to electronic paper that excite, woo, and brain-tickle the reader.

I’m afraid I made no special effort to tidy my nest where the lion’s share of my writing takes place.  Nor did I make it appear more formal than it is.  As can be seen from the photo, what you see is what you get on my desk where work and personal life collide.  The stuff of stories in one section helps reduce the number of stacked bills on the other side.  But what a joy that stuff of stories is.  The distant chair in the photo, yes it’s actually a piece of garden furniture, is brilliantly comfortable to settle in for a few hours creating.  Please pardon the pajamas hanging on the back of it.  I’m often in them when I’m about my work, so count it a small joy they’re simply draped. 

 I know it looks a simple chair, but it’s actually a jetliner that takes off at the first press of a key and lands in a small village in England.  Aidan Kirkwood won’t be found on the map, but it’s a composite of lovely English villages visited in my personal travels.  Berdie Elliott, the vicar’s wife with divine sleuthing skills, comes to life in her solving of mysteries, keeping of treasured relationships, and growth of character as she grapples with the quirky realities of everyday parish life.  Sadly, there are no full meals served on this chairplane, simply peanuts and hot tea that regularly goes cold.

As often as my flights of fancy take me away, I can’t say I mind returning, especially when I gaze out my window.  I have the generous blessing of living lake side.  The way the clouds sweep overhead,  the color of the water that changes with seasons and sunshine, the teaming wildlife that calls the lake home, all of it, is a beauty I cherish.

So, there it is; my spaces and places where dreams are fortified.  And I wish for each of you a special place where dreams flourish, perhaps in a chairplane of your own.   

About the Author:   

At the age of nine, Marilyn wrote her first work with a childhood friend. It was a mystery. And she has been writing ever since. A graduate of Colorado State University, she taught art to underserved children and co-authored several plays and screenplays. Marilyn is a dyed-in-the-wool British enthusiast after "discovering her roots" in England. She lives in a lakeside cottage on the Denver outskirts.

Buy the book at www.pelicanbookgroup.com or Amazon

A Lenten sod turning ceremony for a new water feature in the back garden of St. Aidan of the Wood Parish Church goes utterly pear-shaped when the upturned soil reveals a human skeleton. With Berdie Elliott at the helm, the whole of Aidan Kirkwood digs into the mystery. When the bones held life, just who was this person? Who is the mysterious contessa who arrives on the garden scene? And what does the young and beautiful Robin Derbyshire's wedding have to do with the grave? Unearth the answers in this fun spring romp.