This morning, Mrs. Thomson and I finally made it out onto the woodland trails for a bit of cross-country skiing. We’re blessed with many places within an easy drive where we can enjoy nature. And even though I’m probably as little a fan of winter as it gets for a Canadian, I have to admit that the forest, after a fresh dusting of overnight snow, was delightful. As were the other skiers and snowshoers we passed — smiles and friendly hellos at every encounter. We also rediscovered that cross-country skiing uses a set of muscles different from the one we exercise at the gym, but it’s a good ache, especially at our age. And speaking of age, it was interesting that pretty much everyone we saw out there was of our generation or near enough. It made me wonder what the younger folks do for exercise and fresh air on a beautiful February Saturday.

But now I’m back at the keyboard while a new dusting of snow is erasing tracks and footprints. I’ve just passed the three-quarters mark for the first draft of No Remorse (Decker’s War Book 6), and as it always happens when I come to the final act, my writing speeds up so I can stay ahead of characters barreling towards the story’s climax. I don’t want to give anything away, but the story involves people from Decker’s distant past, as well as his more recent adventures, especially the previous two. I figure I’ll be done by the end of the month, and I’ve already warned my editor to clear her calendar for March. Once this one is in her hands, it’s back to Without Mercy (Siobhan Dunmoore Book 5).