What is going on with time? I swear, I've been the victim of a rash of robberies by invisible, stealthy beings that eat all my free time before I even know it is gone. I'm on a deadline to complete my third in the WILD Mystery Series. I value my writing time so highly that I even go "black ops" sometimes and don't answer the phone or emails or the door (except for package deliveries!). But even when I do this, the demands on my time wait patiently and ambush me as soon as I come up for air. Why?
    What about all these time-saving conveniences that are supposed to be bettering our lives, giving us more leisure time, etc? Rather, I have somehow become their slave. I must answer those emails, I need to check the messages on my cell phone, my office phone, my home phone, there are alarms popping up on my desktop from my calendar system, and I take meetings, do teleconferences, planning sessions, and more.
    The other day, I hiked in the snow up to Tradition Rock, a place I used to go daily with Mountain. I could only spare an hour or so for the hike, so I didn't go on to the top of the peak, but rather looked out over the mountain valley where I live from that high promontory. I walked out onto the rock shelf and found my little cabin below me among the pines. It looked so small, so peaceful and tranquil. But in truth, the place where I was standing was the only peaceful place I'd been in weeks, the wind singing through the pines, the snow crunching under my boots, the rocks exuding that wonderful wet smell as the sun warmed them and melted a bit of the snow.
    Perhaps this is why I always limit the technology available to my sleuth, Jamaica Wild. Not only is the series set in a place that is technologically challenged by terrain and culture, but Jamaica is the kind of woman who would not allow the Time Eaters to steal her life the way that I have.
    In WILD INDIGO, much is made about the fact that my sleuth Jamaica doesn't have a phone. Not even a cell phone. Nor does she have a computer or a PDA. In the wild terrain where she lives and works, none of these would be much good.
In WILD INFERNO, Jamaica doesn't even have a working radio when she needs one most on a wildfire. This happens, too, when we wildland firefighters find ourselves in the shadow of a repeater, or out of range of one, and this can often be a critical safety factor, as it is in this tale.
    And now that I'm working on the third in the series, WILD SORROW, I hesitate to add that ubiquitous cell phone to Jamaica's Resource Protection Agent belt. Why? Because Jamaica's life is special. She's a woman committed to protecting and preserving the wild places and its inhabitants. She would resist letting technology and the Time Eaters rob her of even the scantest bit of her time.
    It's a good thing I get to escape into her life when I write. It reminds me of what is really important, and the Time Eaters are temporarily held at bay. It's a respite, at least, like my hike to Tradition Rock. I count that as a blessing.
    I wish you all a respite or two this special time of the year. Take a moment to get next to nature and take in the nourishment, comfort, and peace. Have a happy holiday season. And don't let those Time Eaters get it all.