This week, I am attending the Craft Brewer’s Conference on behalf of Stouts and Stilettos, the women’s beer blog that I contribute to. Given the panels, talks, and copious amounts of beer flowing, my fiction writing is slowing down a little through Thursday.

It’s slowing, but it hasn’t ceased. I’m still trying to work on Please Give each day, even if it’s something fast, like the 104 words I wrote yesterday while waiting for a taxi. Hey, it’s 104 more words towards completing it – and as of this weekend, I’m 4/5 done with a full, complete, bracket-free draft. It’s pretty exciting!

The conference is also serving as “research” for my next book. I have a couple ideas floating around, but one that’s sticking with me is a story about two women taking a  road trip to buy a rare beer, and stopping at breweries along the way. As such, my notes from the conference are interspersed with notes for the story, mostly making up names for the fictional beers that Kim and Lily (current protagonist names) will be drinking. My personal favorite so far is Male Tears Gose.

My non-novel notes will find their way into blog posts on Stouts and Stilettos over the next couple weeks. Be sure to check it out, even throughout the year. I mostly contribute beer reviews and venue reviews, and the blog has many talented women contributing their thoughts on our favorite beverage. You can also follow my live conference thoughts on Twitter, under #CBC17.