Frustrated author/investigator/freelance writer-editor

Is everyone’s life as chaotic as mine? Yeesh, I hope not.

In truth, my brain is in fairly good shape. Generally speaking, I can find what I’m looking for there. My physical surroundings are the problem. See, I have three different jobs—freelance writer/editor, private investigator, and author.

Sometimes it’s hard to remember who I am at any one time. Whenever I look at the caller ID on my phone, I have to ask myself, who am I to this person and what do they know about me? Fortunately, I usually can remember that, but occasionally I have to ask the caller, “What is this about?” and if I’m totally clueless, I just don’t answer and hope the caller will leave a message that clues me in.

But then there are the notes. When I get a flash of inspiration, I tend to grab the closest piece of paper and scribble it down and assume I can sort it into the appropriate file later. And I usually can, but sometimes there’s a confusing overlap between my real world and my fiction. I just picked up a piece of paper with the following notes:

• Body removal +1
• Get dog +2
• Overreaction by Grace?
• Painting
• Bandaged hand
• Avg cost marble $58-63 sf
• VT or NH
• Prince Edward Island
• Blood alcohol level

Coming Soon!

I had to stare at that Post-It for a while before I remembered that a third of those notes are for an investigation case I’m working on, a third are for a sample business proposal I’m writing for a client, and the rest are for my latest novel, The Only Clue (which will be out in a couple of weeks even if it kills me.)

I’m not telling you which are which. Because that would violate several sacred oaths, a couple of laws, and a nondisclosure statement or two.

A few of these notes could refer to both a real life case and my fictional story, but I swear, I’ve been writing this book for what seems like forever, long before I got the investigation case. Real life copying fiction this time, instead of the other way around.

Some days the life of an author/investigator/freelance writer-editor is interesting. Other days, it’s just confusing.

My Favorite Local Park

I’m going outside to air out my brain now.