A Farewell to 2023
Terry Odell
Let me be the third poster to ring in 2024, TKZers. Kay and Debbie covered the goals/resolutions topic very well, so I’m not going there.
Someone, somewhere, sometime determined that the transition between December 31st and January 1st was more significant than any other turning of the days. Whatever, I hope your 2024 brings you more than your 2023. And I’m hoping for peace.
In my last post of 2023, I said if all went according to plan, I’d be in Prague the day it posted. Did all go according to plan? Well, I was in Prague, so the short answer is yes. But not everything went as smoothly as I’d hoped. If it seems I’m dwelling on the negative, please understand I had a wonderful time. But I’m a writer, and only trouble is interesting.
Hiccup number one. After boarding the plane in Denver, bound for Frankfurt, settling in our seats, we waited. And waited. Finally, the captain announced that there would be a delay because one passenger decided he didn’t want to make the trip. It’s not as simple as letting him leave, of course. His baggage has to be located in the belly of the aircraft. Another wait, and we were told said passenger had decided he’d join us after all.
My son, in talking with a flight attendant, discovered the passenger didn’t like that his headrest moved up and down and wanted off. Another passenger in a seat without a movable headrest offered to switch, and that solved the problem. We were now an hour or so behind schedule.
Our connection to Prague had enough time so we didn’t miss that flight, although we definitely got our steps in for the day. Have you ever been to the Frankfurt airport? Coming in to the Z gates and having to get to the A gates (with a stop at passport control) isn’t a walk in the park. But we found our gate. Which changed to another gate. Which changed to a third gate. And then we waited. And waited. The weather forecasts hadn’t mentioned the snow rolling in. Flights were delayed, and then, once we finally boarded, we had the pleasure of waiting in line for our plane to be de-iced before we could take off.
We arrived in Prague a mere two hours late. Our luggage had made it. Yay! Our driver hadn’t. Boo! The company was supposed to follow the arrival times and make sure we were met, but our driver gave up when he found out how late we were, and there was another 45 minute wait for a replacement. Dare I mention we were now smack dab in the middle of rush hour traffic?
But we arrived at the hotel, found the rest of our group already libating at the bar, and called it a positive outcome. After all, we were in Prague, and on the date we were supposed to get there.
My plan for this trip, aside from the sights and photography, was to gather fodder for a novel. Would the events of Day One be worth including? Not without adding some stakes, I would think. Like, what would happen if a character didn’t get to where they were supposed to be on time because a passenger didn’t want an adjustable headrest? Would readers believe it?
Overall, the trip was fantastic despite the rocky start. After three days in Prague (two actually, since this Day One was a write-off), we took a train to Vienna. More writing fodder there. After two days there, we set sail on a cruise along the Danube headed for Nuremberg, stopping at Christmas markets. Did you know that they can close a river to boat traffic? But that’s a story for another time.
Glad to be home, even though we arrived with Covid. Vaccinations and boosters probably kept symptoms relatively minimal, although the cough lingers on.
On the writing front, Deadly Adversaries is on schedule for it’s February 22nd release date. (You can pre-order it now.) I’d turned in my edits before I left, so the Covid brain fog and overall meh feeling didn’t mess with my schedule.
Have I started the new book? Not beyond coming up with some basic premises. Indie author here. No guilt, no deadline yet.
If you’ve read this far, how about some of the pictures I took on the trip? I’ll be working on processing the images for a while, but here’s a start.
So, TKZers, are you looking at a fresh start for 2024, or are you (like me), just going to plug along and hope for the best? Every day is a new beginning no matter what the calendar says.
How can he solve crimes if he’s not allowed to investigate?
Gordon Hepler, Mapleton’s Chief of Police, has his hands full. A murder, followed by several assaults. Are they related to the expansion of the community center? Or could it be the upcoming election? Gordon and mayor wannabe Nelson Manning have never seen eye to eye. Gordon’s frustrations build as the crimes cover numerous jurisdictions, effectively tying his hands.
Available for preorder now.
Terry Odell is an award-winning author of Mystery and Romantic Suspense, although she prefers to think of them all as “Mysteries with Relationships.”