Tag: Renovations (Page 1 of 3)

Winter is Coming

2020-11-25 / Eric Thomson / 0 Comments

A look out my office window reveals a January-style winter wonderland, thanks to a pair of snow dumps, one on Monday and one today. It’ll melt, what with above freezing temperatures predicted from tomorrow until well into next week, but I’d best get used to the view. After all, this is Canada, the land of ice and snow.

The contractors finished working on the house yesterday and they did a superb job – new vinyl siding, new soffits, new fascia, new gutters and new downspouts. Our almost 50 year old home looks 40 years younger, and with fresh Tyvek house wrap replacing the old tar paper, it’s also better clad beneath the muted green siding. Of equal relief was the fact they found no major issues. The walls are in good shape – not a trace of rot, insect or animal infestation. With new outside lights and a bright new house number plate completing the do-over, we’re officially done with renos until next summer. Anyone in the Ottawa area needing a top-notch contractor to re-side their home, replace the gutters and whatnot, drop me a message via the official Eric Thomson website and I’ll give you their coordinates.

As predicted, progress on Ashes of Empire: Imperial Echoes was slow over the last week and a half, but I’m back in the saddle now, although I’m not sure I can make a late January publishing date at this time. We’ll see. In the meantime, stay healthy and safe, fellow humans. Peace.

Day Two of the Renos

2020-11-17 / Eric Thomson / 0 Comments

The north wall is done, as is the two story part of the west side. It’s already looking so much better than before. The picture below perfectly encapsulates the before and after. Before is the yellow aluminum on the right and after is the green vinyl on the left. Talk about rejuvenating a house that was built when I was still in grade school.

A Lot of Action

2020-11-16 / Eric Thomson / 1 Comment

This morning, the work on re-siding the Casa Thomson began (and it’s not just re-siding, but replacing soffits, fascia and the gutters). Considering the stuff being replaced is all original on a house dating back to 1974, the change will be tremendous. Already, the faded, dented and dinged yellow aluminum siding on one wall is gone, replaced by vinyl in a gentle cypress green. And once that’s done, as I told Mrs T., we can settle in for a long winter’s nap, since we won’t be spending the holidays in our usual scuba diving spot this year.

In other news, Ashes of Empire: Imperial Echoes is past the 20% completion mark, and though the going is slow, it’s steady, which is normal when building a new world, that of Lyonesse’s soon to be discovered existential enemy, the Wyvern Hegemony. But with the noise of outside renovations this week I expect progress will be a little slower than usual. It’s amazing how much stapling house wrap and nailing siding reverberates throughout the entire house. Right now, one of the contractors is working on the second story wall right outside my office, which is just a tad eerie when I’m used to solitude and silence on a regular weekday.

In any case, progress on all fronts. Stay safe and healthy, fellow humans.

Winter – Redux

2018-04-05 / Eric Thomson / 0 Comments

Another Spring, another deep freeze. The calendar might say April, but the thermometer says January. What the 90 kilometer per hour wind gusts say is something else altogether, but our neighbourhood survived the last thirty-six hours with no visible damage, unlike others. I’m sure the migrating Canada geese we’ve seen overhead for the last week or so are mighty confused. My dog certainly seems to be.

At least the bathroom renos are just about done. The final fixture came in today, so all that remains is two small finishing touches. A big shout-out to the folks at Distinctive Bathrooms and Kitchens for a great job. I can’t recommend them enough. And since I like hanging around the tradesmen when they’re working so I can watch and I’m not shy about asking questions, I learned a lot of little tricks and techniques I’ll find helpful when I’m doing my own work. I owe a big thanks to all of them for patiently explaining their work and indulging my enthusiasm.

And when it comes to my own trade, that of storyteller, I’m happy to report Imperial Sunset (Ashes of Empire #1) hit the one-third, or 33.3% completion mark today. That’s almost 140 pages or 11 chapters in two and a half weeks. Not too bad, if I say so myself.

Choosing Wisely

2018-03-29 / Eric Thomson / 0 Comments

On this eve of Good Friday, the bathroom renovation is just about completed. A few items on back-order still need to be installed next week, but it’s usable again. And so nice. Modern looking too, compared to its earlier 1974 vintage incarnation. Over the weekend, Mrs. Thomson and I will have the agreeable chore of dusting and scrubbing the rest of the house. I’ve already done my office, which put me a little behind on my daily writing, but progress on my newest project has been excellent.

In the 9 days since I started writing Imperial Sunset (Ashes of Empire #1), I’ve put over 20,000 words to paper, one-fifth of the novel! And this at a time when tradesmen were working downstairs from early in the morning to late afternoon. It goes to show you that when I’m on the right track, my productivity is most satisfying. It also vindicates my decision to shelve Siobhan Dunmoore’s fifth adventure for now and move on to the next idea, since I was getting nowhere. The storyline for Imperial Sunset is already almost entirely formed in my head, and now it’s just a matter of fleshing it out and pounding the keyboard. As this is my twelfth novel, the fleshing out is becoming easier and therefore quicker. I foresee a mid to late June publication date.

And if you haven’t picked up your copy of No Remorse (Decker’s War Book 6) yet, you don’t know what you’re missing!

The Best Laid Plans

2018-01-20 / Eric Thomson / 0 Comments

As regular readers of this blog might remember, since leaving the demented bureaucracy for the genteel life of a writer at large, I’ve been alternating periods in front of the keyboard with work on our more than forty-year-old house. I had a plan of sorts too — focus on a specific aspect each year, be it for work I’d do myself or work I intended on handing to a contractor. Of course, the moment you inform life you have a plan, life’s response will be: hold my beer, and watch this!

The other day, just as she was leaving for work, Mrs. Thomson called me to witness a growing water puddle in the downstairs bathroom. Turns out Old Man Winter froze a sink drainpipe running inside an outer wall shut. And that latest water damage in the same space, which hasn’t seen an upgrade other than cosmetic since the house was built back when I was still in grade school, means we need to move up the bathroom rebuild by a year or two. So much for my 2018 renovation plans, but there’s no real choice, not with the danger of mold growing thanks to this last soaking. And since this is work for a contractor, not a do it yourselfer like me, I must see what I can do at minimal cost with my own hands elsewhere on the property. Thankfully, we were able to hire the same excellent company that worked on our kitchen and other bathroom in years past. I suppose the price tag is an added incentive to publish more good stories.

No Remorse (Decker’s War Book 6) is fast approaching the halfway completion mark, and as you may have noticed, its cover now features alongside the rest of them on this blog. After a brief moment of writer’s block the day before yesterday, the floodgates opened during my daily stint at the gym, and I can finally see precisely how all parts of the story will unfold, which always helps increase my productivity. At this rate, you can expect it to hit the bookshelves sometime in March!

More Musical Inspiration

2017-07-09 / Eric Thomson / 0 Comments

As I mentioned before, music is an important part of my inspiration to write, my muse if you like, and a great motivator when I’m procrastinating. I try to give each of my books a theme song, sometimes more than one, when I stumble across pieces appropriate for various parts of the story. It’s hard to predict what will trigger the muse, or what will crop up that meshes well with my writing. Case in point, the theme song for Black Sword (Decker’s War Book 5) has turned out to be a 1982 hit by the band Golden Earring, called Twilight Zone. Once you read the book (it will be out later this summer), you’ll see why I chose it. As far as musical pairings go, this one is the best so far.

I’m currently more than halfway through the revision of Black Sword. With the greater part of this year’s home reno project done, I’ll be able to give it a sprint, so I figure my editor might see it in a week or so.

Half-Way There

2017-06-07 / Eric Thomson / 0 Comments

After the wettest and most miserable spring in living memory around here, we’ve had our first true day of warm sunshine. Summer seems to have finally arrived. Of course, the warm weather means little for my routine, if truth be told. I’ll still be walking the dog if it isn’t raining, only earlier in the day, because he doesn’t like walking on asphalt when it gets too hot, and I’ll still get my time at the gym. This year’s renos have been moving apace, and so far I’m keeping faith with my pledge to renew one room a year. I’m actually quite pleased now that I’ve done the workshop and the laundry room, and have made good progress on turning the basement rec room back into a livable space. The amount of junk that’s been trickling out of the house over the last 2-3 weeks is nothing short of miraculous. This coming weekend, our city is holding its semi-annual weekend of ‘put your unwanted stuff on the curb for others to take’. I’ll be filling the end of our driveway, judging by the amount of old furniture and light fixtures I’ve extracted from the basement. I know both Mrs Thomson and my dog are happy with the progress on decluttering Thomson Manor.

And yes, I have been working on Black Sword (Decker’s War Book 5) every day. In fact, the first draft is over 50% done and speed has been ramping up, as it usually does once I reach the half-way mark. I’ve also been giving further thought to the plot of the fifth Dunmoore adventure, tentatively titled Without Mercy. You may have noticed the book cover mockup.

Almost There

2017-04-30 / Eric Thomson / 0 Comments

We’re now within a day or two of Victory’s Bright Dawn (Siobhan Dunmoore Book 4) being distributed to the various retail outlets. As I mentioned a few weeks ago, it will not be available through Kindle Unlimited, but it will be available on iTunes, Kobo, Nook, etc, at the same time as it comes out on Amazon. The paperback version will be published concurrently. I’m probably as anxious for it to go live as anyone, after four months of intense work. If you’re on my mailing list, you’ll get an email as soon as the new novel is live, so check your inbox over the next 48 hours. The email will come from eric@thomsonfiction.ca, and will have links to the ebook on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo and Nook.

In other news, I realized, 20% into Decker’s War #5 that I wasn’t writing the story I wanted to write, so I returned to square one. Fortunately, about half of what was already written fits the proper story, so not all is lost. I’ve been fleshing out the new outline over the last few days, while my editors were giving Dunmoore #4 a final go-over, and this time, I’m telling the right story, one I’ve been planning for the Zack Decker universe at some point anyway. I’m aiming to have it out by mid to late summer.

And now back to our regularly scheduled Sunday reno work. Can’t spend all my time in front of a computer typing away, can I? Besides, it’s either swinging a hammer or a few hours at the gym, and I’d rather finish some of the work I started last fall.

Inspiration’s Capriciousness

2017-01-16 / Eric Thomson / 0 Comments

Inspiration is a fickle creature – perhaps the most capricious for someone embarked on a creative venture. I’ve been hoping to finish the first draft of A Splash of Blood by the end of this month, but seem to have come stuck at the three-quarters mark. In an attempt to get things moving, I wrote the ending, but that didn’t juice up my imagination. Thus, instead of sitting in front of a computer waiting for inspiration to strike, I turned my attention on the fourth Dunmoore adventure, Victory’s Bright Dawn, and fortunately, momentum seems to be building. I suppose I’ll keep plugging at it until I figure out how to cut the knot that’s tying up A Splash of Blood right now. Based on past experience, it could happen at any odd time, so there’s no point in forcing the issue.

I’ve also been thinking about the fifth installment of Decker’s War, and while perusing a gallery of images for the cover yesterday, I might have inadvertently changed my mind on what the tale will be. You see, I found a perfect image that fits with the series, yet it wouldn’t work with the original storyline I’ve been contemplating. Now, another idea that’s been kicking around in the back of my mind for several years might finally see the light of day, suitably modified to showcase Zack Decker. Of course, with two other books to finish before I start working on Decker’s War #5, I have plenty of time to change my mind, and no doubt my inspiration, fickle as it is, will take advantage of that fact.

That being said, I am glad to finally be back in the swing of things, after a week of post-vacation readjustment to my regular routine and our dear Canadian winter. Today is supposed to be “Blue Monday” the saddest day of the year (in the northern hemisphere, one would think, seeing as how it’s summer below the equator), but I’m not feeling sad. The sunshine, in the absence of wind, felt warm on my face when I went out earlier today and even though it’s only mid-January, the promise of spring implicit in the stronger sun and longer days cheered me up.

At some point, I’ll have to pick up the tool belt again and finish the laundry room, then turn my attention on the rest of the basement. Some of the construction material has been sitting idly in neat and not so neat piles since well before Christmas, ready and waiting for me to find my motivation. But as with writing, I’m not going to force matters. Inspiration strikes when it strikes, be it spinning tales, writing blog posts or paneling walls and absent pressure from outside sources, it’s best to let things occur when they’re naturally due to happen.