Work In Progress (April 2026)
A Monthly Newsletter from Mystery and Thriller Writer Jenna Kinghorn
April 2026
Work In Progress
I finished revising the short mystery story I was working on last month, and managed to submit it to the contest ahead of the deadline. The exercise led me to view several Sisters In Crime-sponsored webinars, some live and more recorded, on writing short stories, and I have a few more to work my way through. They all have had good general information on the craft of writing which applies equally to the elements of novels, so the notes I've taken are helpful in my revision of Next of Kin, as well.
I've also been lucky to find a number of webinars devoted to revising fiction, and have found many helpful tips and reminders from a variety of writers. I especially like the recorded webinars that I can review at my own pace, because I can concentrate on watching and taking notes for twenty minutes or so, then actually try applying some of the ideas to one of the scenes in my novel. Of course, this means it takes me several days to work my way through just one 60- or 90-minute webinar!
Actively re-engaging in all this online education has reminded me how much I enjoy learning.
What I'm Consuming
I've done a lot less reading than usual over the past month, in part because of all the writing craft webinars I've been viewing and re-viewing...
...and in part because I'm slightly obsessed with dogs and cats who "talk" using buttons. I have been watching videos and marveling at interspecies communication.
I fell down this Internet gravity well last summer, as I prepared to attend the World Science Fiction Convention (WorldCon) in Seattle, and dug deeper than I usually do into the social media presences of several authors appearing at the con. One of those writers is Mary Robinette Kowal, who writes excellent science fiction and fantasy, and whose cat Elsie uses buttons. Mary Robinette does a fabulous job explaining their interactions in videos she posts.
Back in February, Mary Robinette and Elsie spent a week in a face-to-face meetup with another human-feline button pair, Nina and Flounder, and I stayed up far too late many nights, catching up on posts covering events in "FlounsieLand" that week. Their posts led me to a few other human-pet button pairs to follow, and the gravity well continues to get deeper...If you're interested, I recommend the Instagram accounts @elsiewants, @maryrobinettekowal, @flounder_meatloaf, and @twiggyandhercatcatfriends
Speaking of gravity wells, WE SENT HUMANS AROUND THE MOON! And I soaked up every available minute of the inspiring voyage on YouTube and other social media, cutting even more deeply into my usual reading time.
When it comes to TV, I've been continuing with:
- ReGenesis
- Will Trent
- High Potential
- New Tricks
Have You Read Anything By Elizabeth Peters?
I needed a lot of escapist reading this past month, given world events, so I turned to one of my favorite escapist series: the Amelia Peabody mysteries, by the late, great Elizabeth Peters. Crocodile on the Sandbank, the first in the series, will always be one of my top 10 re-reads. I love the voice of the first-person narrator, and enjoy getting to know Amelia Peabody, the unconventional Victorian Englishwoman behind it. Her first adventure includes sweeping descriptions of fascinating places, the romantic entanglements of various characters, and puzzling events that put her and her companions in mortal peril. Amelia’s wonderful sense of humor brings her through it all, a little disheveled in the end, but very much in control of the situation—or so she loftily believes.
Subsequent “memoirs” in the 20 volume series feature many more fascinating Egyptian excavations and related adventures, spanning from the 1880s into the 1920s. As the world changes, Amelia's circle of family, friends, and colleagues grows. Late in the series, Amelia’s voice is supplemented by notes, journals, and letters penned by some of these other characters, widening the scope of the adventures to include First World War espionage, women’s suffrage, racism, imperialism, and nationalist politics. Amelia passes judgement on it all with dry humor and (sometimes unwarranted) self-confidence. In the final book, Tomb of the Golden Bird, she bears witness to the discovery of King Tut’s Tomb.
If you need a break from the real world, pick up one of these adventures, and let yourself be transported to Victorian era Egypt. Sit beside Amelia on the terrace at Shepheard's Hotel, observe the colorful parade of locals and tourists, and collect the latest gossip about government officials, archaeologists, and missionaries. You’ll learn things about archaeology, Egyptology, and world history as you are swept up in Amelia’s “archeological fever.” You’ll be amused by her attempts to provide young lovers with their “happily ever afters.” You'll be alternately impressed and appalled by the way she outwits various attackers, kidnappers, and would-be murderers, as she plunges headlong into criminal conspiracies to defend the people and principles she holds dear.
And, for good or ill, you’ll be reminded that today’s struggles—the vast chasm between the privileged and the impoverished; the fight for civil rights; the conflicts between those who would exploit resources and those who would protect them; and the myriad other clashes pushing one another out of the headlines every hour of every day—have gone on for generations. It’s a perspective I’m reminded of with every piece of historical fiction that I read, and a mindset I have come to find comforting. Perhaps you will, too.
Where I've Been
I’ve spent much of March and April at home, and as the weather has improved, I’ve spent more afternoons than usual in my yard.
Gardening is not my thing, but I volunteered to help Morgan and the gardener—whose hard work every week is responsible for keeping our plants under some semblance of control—to enclose a sunny corner of our lot. The fencing will let them will grow plants that would otherwise disappear into the bellies of our neighborhood deer.
Our gardener brought in a few metal containers which will eventually be raised planting beds, and I spread flattened cardboard over the area she tilled and weeded. She pounded in six-foot-tall t-stakes around the perimeter, we stretched deer netting between them, and then recycled an old arched trellis into an entryway. We'll eventually put a screen door on the arch to keep deer from wandering in.
I'm just really not a plant person, so the most interesting part of the process to me was the revelation that the corner of the yard we were working on had encroached on the driveway by more than two feet over the the past few years. Between plants dying and turning into soil, and the gradual gravity- and weather-assisted spread of that soil and the roots branching through it, we lost about twenty-five square feet off our driveway!
Scraping away grass in a nearby area, we also found a whole line of six-inch-thick retaining wall blocks that had once formed a garden bed edge, but had been similarly overgrown and buried. Unearthing those gave me a new appreciation of how archaeological sites come into existence over time. I now think our gardener's weekly visits are all that are standing between us and our house being prematurely buried...
My Furry Muses
It’s been just about a year since we brought our beautiful dog Mia home with us. She’s grown in many ways over the past twelve months. One of the most fun developments has been her expanding sense of playfulness.
Mia came with a couple of toys her foster mom had given her: a pink plush dinosaur squeaky toy, and a rubber fish suitable for outdoor play. On her second day with us, we introduced her to two rather large baskets full of squeaky toys, chew toys, tug toys, food puzzles, and balls she had inherited from our previous Irish Water Spaniels, but she seemed too timid to help herself.
Morgan picked up a tennis ball and tossed it to her…and we just about fell over laughing when it bounced off her nose! Our new baby did not know how to catch, nor did she race after a ball when it was thrown for her! (Although she did run after her pink dino when we tossed it.) She wasn’t sure what to do with a tug toy, although she was happy to chomp on a Nylabone. We scratched our heads—how do you teach a dog to play?
Fortunately our super-playful kittens provided Mia with in-person tutoring on the concept, as they chased toys, wrestled with each other, and got into all manner of mischief that made us laugh.
As Mia relaxed and we settled into a routine, throwing her pink dino became a nightly ritual, and she started playing with other squeaky soft toys. Then we expanded the throwing to include the Nylabone, and eventually a ball. Morgan kept lobbing gentle ball tosses her way, and eventually Mia learned to catch them. We’re still working on the “bring it back” part of the retrieving game.
After a few months of letting her settle in, we enrolled Mia in a Nose Work class. At first she was too timid to try sniffing out treats in front of strangers, but eventually the lure of hotdog bits overcame her shyness. Now she whines with delight as we turn into the training facility’s driveway, and her tail wags in overdrive while she races around, trying to scent out the hidden sources of odor. She brings that same enthusiasm to solving her food puzzles at home.
Mia started going to doggie day care once a week in the fall, so she could learn to socialize with other dogs. The human in charge tried to engage her with toys and match her up with canine playmates, but Mia always observed from the periphery instead of throwing herself into games. Halfway through our week away in February, while Mia was boarding with the pack, we were delighted to get a video of her finally playing chase with another dog!
Hard to believe it's been a whole year...We’re looking forward to what our next trip around the sun with Mia brings.
That's it until the middle of next month. Thanks for being a reader – Jenna