Lands of Fire

Because, our Tucson house is a mix of being used by us and vacation renters in the winter and spring, getting here always involves making it ready for the first to arrive after we leave. Whether we will be continuing the vacation rentals is uncertain for assorted reasons. We are doing some serious thinking about whether we can afford to keep it if we don't rent it and yet renting it has increased complications. By the time we leave, we should know.

One of the big things with which we had to deal was the swimming pool. We considered having it removed when we saw the water had turned green, and the experts said it would take draining, scouring, and then refilling. Nothing cheap. The problem is neither is removing it, and it would cost us value if we did that on the off chance we wanted to sell it in the near future. So we have to pay for all that water, but not much you can do about any of it. The photo alongside is after the pool guys scoured it. It is nine feet deep at the farthest end. It had a diving board which we removed. Currently we are filling it... yes, it's costly but we alerted the Oro Valley water company so we won't also have a fine for overuse of water. They do understand this problem. Some pieces I read said these pools should be drained every 3 to 5 years... uh oh.
 
As an upgrade, we decided to buy a 55" HD TV. We had been thinking the entertainment center made that impossible except now there are metal bracket hangers and... The box where the TV used to set is turned into a shadow box for one of my sculptures and also would be a spot to showcase cut flowers.

Of course, we have had to test out the set so we can write instructions for the renters... I like it so much and am now thinking of a 60" for the Oregon house. They have come down in price as constantly they are bringing out some new, fancier version that is more money while last year's models are less than the first color TV we ever bought-- years and years and years ago.

Anyway we are here, enjoying the desert as it's particularly lush this year due to rains that lasted (and are still lasting) longer than usual. Wildflowers are  blooming. 

Because I have a new historical romance coming out November 5, Lands of Fire, it's particularly nice to be here now as a reminder of all I and my characters love about the Sonoran Desert. This book has the most, of any of my books, about what the desert means to those who live close to it.

For those who have no clue what that means, here are some photos of what we have been enjoying as we go for desert walks. Right now I am slowly reconditioning myself to walking farther. I am soooooooo out of condition. There is nowhere I'd rather be doing the walking as the desert feels so alive right now-- especially where the streams are full of water that much of the year, they don't have.

I will be writing more about the next book. I have something on my Rain Trueax blog that illustrates the timeline I use for these books. When you write books over a period of years, it's helpful to write down the characters' birth dates and places.