Trying desperately to pull the threads together, 40,451 words

As I think I mentioned last week, I now have two plots. One involving Fernando and Olga (and Laura, as advice columnist), and one involving the Suns of Ipswich. I guess you could say I have a third plot, involving Fernando and Seth and their long-lost parents. But I'm basically ignoring that plot line as a failed experiment.

In today's instalment, Laura tries valiantly to figure out if there is some connection between these two plot lines. I think Laura is a proxy for me, because I'm trying to figure out the same thing.

Then, since I didn't write Sunday or Monday, I had three Martha Stewart crafts to include. Three crafts in 2,000 words is kind of a lot, especially given the prominence of the Raffia Cocktail Set to my plot. So, I just stuck in two (collapsible dog bowl and above-mentioned raffia item) and will do two tomorrow. I'm looking forward to introducing some demented seashell-patterned pillows.

Here's a brief excerpt. You can consider it a demonstration of how it is possible to post excerpts without giving away any valuable plot elements.


She rejected the idea of the collapsible dog bowl, and kept searching. The next craft to catch her eye was a raffia cocktail set. These were mini raffia pom-poms atop bamboo skewers; Laura made a bet with herself (and simultaneously, a bad pun) that these skewers would create a stir at her next party. In fact, she was so inspired as she imagined the success of these little cocktail stirrers that she imagined wrapping bright-green raffia around the pitcher, to provide more texture. She wondered if Miss Pettigrew would allow it, and decided that no human being with eyes could possibly object to such a practical, and pretty, craft. She collected her purse and set out to purchase the necessary materials for the project, already wondering how she might convince Miss Pettigrew to hold a casual get-together in their tiny back garden, so she could show off her raffia creations.

She didn’t get far before unexpectedly encountering Katy Perry. She had just stepped down from the streetcar, and was looking about her to find the shop in question. All of a sudden, she was knocked down by a running figure, presumably rushing to step onto the streetcar before its departure. The runner turned out to be Katy Perry – she would have been recognizable anywhere by her air of being over-eager to please, and her sniveling disrespect for all other humans, but of course, she made things even easier by bedazzling her own name on the back of her cigarette girl uniform.

Laura would have continued on her way after setting Miss Perry on her feet and dusting her off, but the advice-columnist in her could not walk away from a woman in tears. Instead, she was astonished to find herself in a tea house nestled between the Toronto 24-Hour Belt Emporium and the Clubland Craft Trading Post (Laura’s original destination). Her astonishment escalated to unadulterated shock when she heard about how Seth had rejected Katy Perry’s songs, had collaborated with Pogue to come up with a new number (notable for its lack of homophobia) and had joined the Suns of Ipswich. Katy lamented that she had wanted Seth to join all along, but now it seemed that Seth would replace her, and she would be out on the street. The Suns of Ipswich were very tight-knit; they lived together and worked together, and if Katy Perry left the group, she’d also have to leave their well-appointed penthouse apartment a block away from the Peacock, with a majestic view of the lake.