This morning when I woke up — naturally, no alarm — I lay in bed thinking about a necklace I want to make. Then I thought about a scene in the new book I'm writing, the one set in 19th century Paris. 

I thought about a single sentence — one single line.  I repeated it in my head and imagined how it would look on a page.  I thought about how my main character would feel when she heard the words, and I thought for a little while about how the scene would play out.  I thought about how my main character would go on feeling.

I know when I write a book I enter into a relationship with the characters.  I enter into a relationship with my main character certainly, but with everyone else, too.  I try to think as they think, and I try to look at the world (their world) as they do.  I try to feel as they feel.  If my characters become involved with others or with each other, I have to go into those relationships, too.  I become romantically and sexually involved.

As I wrote Swimming Sweet Arrow, the main relationship in my life was the one I had with Vangie, my narrator.  That went on for about two years. I can't explain it more than that.  Vangie was the one I was relating to most.  In many ways, she was at the core of my emotional life.

Maybe that's part of why it takes me so long to write books.  They're relationships.  They take a while to get into, and then I live them.  And get over them.  Anyway.

I have a necklace right now that has the name of my new character on it.  I got a charm made up on Etsy and I wear it on a long chain.  I can show the charm but not all of the name. That part still feels secret.