May 3, 2010
I like the idea of first-person for Kate - I'm thinking about first-person for Nick also. I'll try that and see how it works. I did that for murder at the reunion with Leslie and Jeff and I felt good about that so maybe it will work for this.
I don't want to let myself off lightly by using the good stuff from the previous books. I still have some creativity and clever ideas somewhere here - so I'll come up with some new stuff.
Brainstorming:
It's coming up on Kate's and Nick's 10th wedding anniversary and each of them, unbeknownst to the other, is planning something very special. Their plans get tangled up and for a brief time it's a mess but then it all gets straightened out. I'll figure out what special plans each of them devised.
I decided Kate's dad is currently not on the scene. He may play a role in today's world of Kate. Nick's parents are still very much around, as is his sister and his brother. They're a close, loving family. They lived a privileged life - Mr. Angelo is an executive vice president at Boeing, one of the world's leading aerospace firms, his area is headquartered in St. Louis. He's been with the firm all his working life and started out as a co-op studenl from Rolla School of Mines and Metallurgy.
Mrs. Angelo is a society lady but struggles to be normal and treat her inferiors well. I haven't decided whether she's going to be a bitchy snob like Mrs. Ellerman or not. I'll think about that. Kate recently went through horrendous fertility treatments and is taking a breather from them because it almost destroyed her marriage, her sanity and all her close friendships.
Nick is hot on the trail of a fascinating series of columns but won't share any of it with anyone. He's afraid if the topic leaks, someone else will jump on it or his sources will dry up. He loves his parents but understands their shortcomings and accepts them anyway. He and his brother and sister are extremely close and form a trio that can withstand the onslaughts of the elder Angelos.
Kate and Nick have an A-frame in the woods and a loft apartment in downtown St. Louis. They always planned to move to the suburbs once they had children but since that hasn't happened yet, they're still in their loft. Nick brought home two coal-black kittens for Kate right after the miscarriage, so that she would have something to absorb all the love she'd been storing up inside for the projected baby, as the two of them had called it. The kittens are now lean and lanky cats named Tucker and Taylor and they bring much joy to Nick and Kate. Nick found them in a corner of Soulard Market under a sign that said Free ECittins. He'd given the little girl who was giving away the kittens all the money he'd had in his wallet — $73 and change. 507