Sacrifices

When inspiration is being elusive, and the sheer level of mess in the house threatens to overwhelm, I up-books and head down to Nova Cafe, to give said inspiration a caffeine fueled kick in the pants.

Invariably it works, and after this morning's session I've come back home armed with a blue print of where to now for Containment, and the ability to regard the mess with detached disdain. No one ever died of a messy house, did they?

Nova is one of the cafe's Sam Shephard frequents in The Ringmaster. I decided that seeing as she's a real person (well, she seems that way to me) she needed to drink coffee and eat like a real person, so she and her cronies enjoy a number of Dunedin eateries. Of course that necessitated a number of research trips, but I can assure you, that when Sam and Maggie go to Modaks for a cinnamon pinwheel, that yes, they are that good. Ditto the raspberry and coconut cake at The Good Oil (I recommend with cream, not yoghurt though, none of that low-fat rubbish.)

As an author it is my sworn duty not to disappoint my readers, so I shall apply myself, diligently, to the task of finding more good places for Ms Shephard et al to dine.

The sacrifices we make.