Mrs. Moto's Murder Meows & Bodies In The Boatyard | IWSG

The Insecure Writer's Support Group (IWSG) is a place to share and encourage, where writers can express their doubts and concerns without appearing foolish or weak. It's a great place to mingle with like minded people each month during IWSG day.

Every month there's an optional question which may prompt folks to share advice, insights, a personal experience or story. Some folks answer the question in their IWSG blog post or let it inspire them if they're struggling with what to say.

This month's question is:

"How has your creativity in life evolved since you began writing?"

Check out how people have answered this month's question, as well as the other insecurities and writing topics they may have shared by visiting the IWSG sign-up list here. You can see how I answered the question below. This month's co-hosts are Elizabeth Seckman, Ann V. Friend, JQ Rose and myself.

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EDITOR'S NOTE: I found Simon the Time Traveling Cat batting around a crumpled up piece of paper the other day. When I unfolded it, I discovered that it was a diary entry written by a Japanese bobtail cat named Mrs. Moto. By the way, Simon's at the vet today. He sends his warmest regards. Wait, who am I kidding - all he did was growl and hiss when I mentioned that it was the monthly IWSG blog hop. So here's what Mrs. Moto has to say instead.

Thursday, February 14th

Dear Diary,

Humans are weird. I should know - I live with two of them. One of them is tall and wears glasses. People call him Scooter. He's good with a can opener. A very important skill. Those cans of Frisky Feline's Ocean's Delight aren't going to open themselves.

The other one is named Mollie. She's constantly complaining about her frizzy hair. I don't know how many times I've demonstrated my beauty regime to her. Wet your paw (or hand) with your tongue, wipe all over, and, voila, you have smooth, glossy fur (or hair) in no time. Instead, she uses these things called straighteners and then complains when she burns her ears. 

But back to the weirdness of humans. The frizzy-haired lady believes in aliens and UFOs. Talk about your crazy ideas. I heard her tell a friend the other day that she thinks her experience writing about unexplained phenomena has made her more creative in other parts of her life. She rambled on for a while about how she thinks about art and music differently now. 

It got to be a really boring conversation. So I knocked a glass off of the table. That livened things up.

If she really wants to know what true creativity is all about, she should check out where I deposited my latest hairball. Possibly the most creative spot I've come up with to date. I wonder if she'll scream when she finds it.

The humans are going out for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner tonight. I hope they bring me back something good to eat. Fish would be nice.

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This month's question was an interesting one. I'm not sure that I'm more creative in other aspects of my life, but I think I'm much more appreciative of all that goes into other people's creative pursuits. When I'm listening to a song or looking at a painting, I feel like I have a better idea of all of the hours, days, months, even years in some cases, that it took the artist to transform a germ of an idea into a final product.

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Exciting news!!! >>Bodies in the Boatyard<< is now available for pre-order!!! 

Okay, that was probably more exciting for me than for you. But I'm sure you'll excuse my enthusiasm and excessive use of exclamation points because you all are nice that way. 

So, yeah, can you believe it, I've about to release my second cozy mystery on Monday, November 19th! {Sorry, yet another exclamation point slipped out.} If you'd like to pick up a copy and find out what Mollie, Scooter, and Mrs. Moto have been up to since they bought their dilapidated sailboat, Marjorie Jane, you can pre-order ebooks at:

Amazon (US) | Amazon (UK) | Amazon (CA) | Amazon (AU) | Kobo | Nook | Apple Books | Google Play (coming soon)

Paperback and large print will be available closer to the release date.

Find out more on my author site.

BLURB

Selling your house and moving onto a rundown sailboat—not a dream come true. Finding dead bodies in the boatyard—a total nightmare.

Mollie McGhie loves her beachfront cottage. When her husband announces that he wants to sell the house, downsize, and move onto their dilapidated sailboat, she’s not impressed.

When the boat starts leaking, she secretly hopes it will sink. Instead, they haul her out of the water and into the boatyard. Fixing the boat up is bad enough, but when Mollie finds someone has been killed nearby, things get even worse.

Mollie takes matters into her own hands and investigates the mysterious death in the boatyard, along with her adorable feline companion, Mrs. Moto. While she searches for clues, she meets more of the quirky characters who live in the small Floridian town of Coconut Cove, learns about sea turtles, overcomes her fear of public speaking, and, of course, eats way too many sugary treats.

Can Mollie catch the killer before someone else ends up dead?

How do you express your creativity? Has your creativity changed over time?