Author: roncookauthor

I’m a little late getting my October News out this month. Found out that for some reason, my Ron Cook Studios website was set for Private and not for Public. I can only figure that happened when the new iMac operating system updated. A month ago, it was working fine. I just went into the account and was able to change it right away. Fingers crossed it keeps working okay.

Even though I’m spending most of my time writing now, I did get out to my studio and actually did a little work on a new psaltery. I have a Cantigas psaltery (trapezoidal) about ready to have the top glued on, and two wing psalteries needing binding. And, I do have new binding I ripped that still needs drum sanding. Oh, and one more thumb piano is about done.

Writing? My newest work in progress is a thriller called Strung Up. My protagonist is, like I was, a luthier who exhibits at craft shows and art festivals. This one takes place, during the 1990s, at the Scottsdale Art Festival in Arizona. I exhibited at that show for around 10 years. Unfortunately, it is no longer around. The last show was just before the pandemic. It has never come back. But my memory of the place works well for my novel.

The days recently are very warm here in Santa Cruz. Today is in the 80s. And, speaking of 80, that’s my age in a couple of weeks. Argh!

I did do a bit of woodworking in July. Taking a bread from writing (I just finished and released by fourth Charles Blue Paranormal Mystery, A Warlock in Provence), I started another small thumb piano, and continued work on another Cantigas Psaltery.

I also repaired a seven foot section of baseboard in my Gallery/Office. Termites had gotten into a section of MDF baseboard and left a couple of piles of frass exposed. I only found out by moving instrument pedestals around. I was shocked to see the piles of frass. I cut out the section and couldn’t see any new termite activity. I could see no termites. However, I did spray into the space where they had come from… just in case. It only took me an hour to replace the baseboard, but two days of painting it. The new section looks great and blends in to the older baseboard just fine.

On another note, I had a nice Etsy sale last month too. My 50th Anniversary Dulcimer sold to a lady in Virginia. She wrote back to me when she received it and was incredibly happy about it. I also sold a couple more Dulcimer books. Those have been very popular this year.

Okay, for now, that’s it. More news next month!

I did do some woodwork in June, prepping material for some little projects. (More news about those next month.) I’ve also been cleaning up both my shop and studio, since they were getting a little filthy from past projects.

I had three Etsy sales, but they were only for dulcimer books. Making very little on those. The last printing costs had risen, and postage rates have more than doubled since this time last year. What used to be a $4 shipping cost has now risen to over $9. For an $18 book, the print cost was $6, and with $9.40 shipping, and Etsy’s cut, I’m lucky to make a dollar, if that. Once I’m sold out this time, that’s it. No more.

I still have three instruments (all psalteries) in process and a plan to make a couple more thumb pianos. Those have been popular in the past, and I hope will be popular again. We’ll see.

On the writing front: My developmental editor made quite a few suggestions and corrections to my third author’s proof of my fourth Charles Blue Paranormal Mystery, A Warlock in Provence, and I just competed them. I’ve submitted the new copy for printing, but, because of the holiday, haven’t received the okay to go ahead to order from the printer yet. Maybe Monday the 6th, or Tuesday the 7th. I’m anxious to finalize it for mass printing.

Coming up July 17-19 is the Mystery Writers Conference at Book Passage Book Store in Corte Madera, up in Marin County. This will be my second time there. There are great panels with some really great authors and agents. This conference is for authors and prospective authors. Most of the panels are technical and informative. I really enjoyed it last year, and, I’m sure, will enjoy it this year too.

Meanwhile, my next thriller, Strung Up, is coming along. I’m at a point now where I need to add more drama; more mystery, and let the reader know “who done it!”.

Well, that’s it for now. Onward Through the Fog!

Very little woodworking during the last month. I have been reorganizing my shop with plans to sell some of my seldom used hand and power tools. I will keep those that had belonged to my father. My father was a carpenter for around 40 years and had quite a few “classic” hand tools, such as a brace and bit set, several hand saws (rip, crosscut, fine tooth, etc.), and various other tools that were used in the 1920s to 1960s.

We’ve been doing a lot of gardening. There’s constant weeding we have to do in our veggie garden, and I’ve recently planted more seeds for beets and leeks. We’re already harvesting suger snap peas, radishes, and some tomatoes. The garden need quite a bit of watering, mainly because we have a lot of wind here on your westside Santa Cruz yard. It dries out quickly. We do have full rain barrels so we don’t have to waste city water (reservoir fed), and the other day we actually got almost an inch of rain. That gave the garden a good soaking.

On the last day in May I finished another edit of my next paranormal book, A Warlock in Provence. Today, June 1st, I ordered another author’s proof. My editor will look it over, and, hopefully, I’ll be able to release it this Summer. Fingers crossed!

I do plan to do more woodwork this month. I still have several instruments and small folk art pieces that are half through. I need to finish them one of these days.

That’s it for this month. Adios!

Ron Cook Studios is winding down. I have a few more items to finish so I can put them on Etsy, but this may be the last year for that.

Sometime later this year I will move all my tools from my studio and into my garage shop. Some of them I will put on Craigs List to sell, keeping only what I need for home maintenance and occasional tinkering (bookcases, repairs of my old zithers, etc.).

Most of my time now is in writing mysteries and attending conferences and writing group meetups. No more art festivals and craft shows. I retired from that. Good timing too, because several shows I used to attend are no more anyway. Both the Sausolito Art Festival and the Scottsdale Art Festival have ceased to exist. Also, the American Craft Council Show organization quit San Francisco. The only large West Coast show is in Bellevue, Washington. The really big shows are on the East Coast.

Well, that’s enough for now. Time to write!

Not much happening in Ron Cook Studios lately. I did turn four small bowls and took the nicest one with me to San Francisco. I used it to hold specialized guitar picks for my newest book, Murder at the Commune, at Left Coast Crime. This is a conference for writers and readers of mysteries and thrillers. There can be up to 1000 people there. It was held at the San Francisco Hyatt Regency Hotel that’s across from the Ferry Building.

Speaking of the Ferry Building, we ate at Hog Island Oyster Company. Really good food. Also, it is in the back of the Ferry Building overlooking the bay, Treasure Island, and Oakland. While there, the weather in San Francisco was clear and warm… well, until the day we left. Thick, rainy fog moved in as we headed out of the City to our home here in Santa Cruz.

For now, I need to get back to writing on my next novel, another mystery called Strung Up. Onward…

Here we are in a new year. So far, in my part of the country, the weather is pretty, though chilly, and my works, both in wood and words, are coming along nicely.

I do go to the gym three times a week and write and/or work on my woodcrafts the rest of the time and hope to continue as long as I can.

There is no new woodwork projects. I’m attempting to complete the three instruments and several small folk art pieces. I hope to finish them soon.

As for my writing, I’ve completed another edit of my new paranormal mystery, A Warlock in Provence. It should go to the printer in February.

Well, this is a short monthly blog. Until next month, adios.

The last month I spent a little time back in the studio and shop using up a lot of my scrap woods to make a couple more cutting boards for potential Christmas presents.

The left one is black walnut and maple with a black walnut frame. The right one is all black walnut with a maple frame. The little white pieces are the remains of birch biscuits, used for joining wood together.

The rest of the time I spent writing. I finished another draft of my fourth paranormal mystery, A Warlock in Provence, and continued writing on my murder mystery, Strung Up.

While I was writing, we had two new Oriental-style carpets delivered and had new tile installed by the garage and laundry doors and under our coffee bar. We love it all!

The left photo is our new living room carpet. We have a second one, similar but with a different pattern, under our dining room table. The right photo is the new tile. The bamboo flooring (seen at the bottom of the photo) that was in that area always swelled up certain times of the year making an irritating hump.

That’s it for this month. I still have three psalteries in process as well as some dulcimer noters and spoons roughed out. I need to finish them all one of these days.

Everyone have a great holiday season. See you next year!

The next novel I’m writing, my fourth Charles Blue Paranormal Mystery, is taking longer to write than my first three novels. There is a lot going on, and I have to keep going back to re-edit sections to pull all the scenes together. Whew!

On the woodworking front, I do take breaks from my writing and head out to my studio once in a while. This last month I’ve working on and off on three new psalteries and trying to finish some carvings on spoons and noters. Here are some pictures.

It has been a busy month. Besides writing and “making sawdust”, Last Friday I went to the 40th anniversary, 2025, Open Studios Preview Party at the Santa Cruz Art League. This was an invitation-only event put on by the Arts Council of Santa Cruz. This year’s artists displayed pieces of their best works. There were several familiar artists who have been in Open Studios for as long or longer than I did (20 years), and quite a few new and younger talented artists who show that the arts in Santa Cruz will continue for another 40 years (or more, I hope).

October is not only the spooky, halloween month, but it is also my birthday month. I may be retired, but I’m still feeling young. (The gym helps!) Yes, I’ll be a young 79.

Okay, enough for now. All the above should be finished by my next blog entry. Onward…

Another month of editing my current novel in progress, and another month tinkering in my studio and shop. Last month I showed a picture of the new Fender-type Precision bass I made. This month, I completed another guitar kit (below).

Some more tinkering I’m doing: new psalteries.

The top is a new Cantigas psaltery, based on an illustration in the 13th century Cantigas de Santa Maria illuminated manuscript. The bottom one is a new wing psaltery, based on 14th century psalteries in paintings of that era. Both are comprised of salvaged poplar and first-growth Dougas fir.

A long term project is a couple more mountain dulcimers.

Both are hourglass-style. One will be mainly black walnut, and the other will be cocobolo. All the woods are salvaged and/or repurposed.

As you can see, August was a busy month. September will probably be busier. More news next month.