Two Faces, Two Faced - It's Here!

I have just finished downloading the final files for "Two Faces, Two Faced" and will be adding "gadgets" for it right after I post this. I visited the Write Words website -- http://www.writewordsinc.com/ -- and there it is! I'm quite proud of the cover which took me quite a while to get right.

My second novel published, and it's every bit as thrilling as the first one. This time, however, I think I have a better footing in the publicity department. I'll be updating Authorsden and Goodreads, adding a Facebook page, tweeting on Twitter. When I attend the Love Is Murder conference, I plan on taking chapbooks with me, in addition to having "The Drreamer Gambit" for sale in the conference book store.

Still working on "The Changeling Kill," sequel to "Dreamer." I find myself back-tracking a lot in order to set up for the climatic chapter. Very soon, I will have to go through a sort of storyboarding excercise I sometimes find necessary. I'll go back through what I've written and make a chart of what each POV character knows when. This is mainly a continuity check but also serves to make sure Jack has enough pieces of information to figure it out at the crucial moment.

I'm on vacation from my regular day job this week, and the timing couldn't have worked out better with "Faces" coming out. I'm really hoping that its Miami locale will be appealing during the winter months ahead.

Two Faces, Two Faced - Underway!

Just received e-mail from my editor at Write Words with the cover art for Two Faces Two Faced. I provided the artwork, and she adds the lettering. Result looks fantastic! I can hardly believe the book will get published in about a week.

On a personal note, I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving Day. While much has changed over the last year, some for good and some not so good, I choose to focus on the best. I have my wonderful husband and two adorable kitties in our great new house. We have great friends and good health and so much more. My second novel will be out soon and my first has gone into print; for the start of my writing career, I have to thank the great people at Write Words.

Gotta go make turkey!

Peace and joy!

New Book One Step Closer

Just sent corrections for "Two Faces Two Faced" to the editor at Write Words. I proofed that galley three times, so I hope I caught everything. I was lucky that "Faces" did not see any rewrites, where "Dreamer" had at least three. All those rewrites open up the opportunity for continuity errors and those can be tough to find without reading it straight through in a single sitting. Scheduled release date to the ebooksonthe.net site is December 1. Soon as I get the thumbs-up that everything is ready, I'll jump into the publicity role. Press releases, Twitter, this blog, Facebook, Goodreads, Authors Den, etc.

And in between, there's the sequel to "Dreamer" to work on, and I'm eager to get back to it. I've been going back to the manuscript at odd moments when I have ideas and sticking notes in where I want to add something, like extending a scene or what's coming up next. Ah, what a luxury it would be to have all my time to devote to writing projects! Still got the day job, though.

There was also a short story I started for the Writers of the Future contest which I suppose I could try to complete and get it entered by the December 31 deadline. But given any free time at all, I'd probably opt for working on "Changeling" instead. That one too will not require any rewriting, but proofing, proofing, proofing! Hopefully, I'll have that one done by spring and then maybe dust off one my older manuscripts for polishing.

Love Is Murder

I just signed up for the 2012 Love Is Murder conference in Chicago, and as an author! The first time I went, in 2009, I was still an unpublished writer, looking to make the most of the Pitch-A-Palooza event at the conference--a chance to pitch my novel to literary agents. Oddly enough, I pitched the "The Dreamer Gambit" in one of its earlier incarnations, and three agents asked me to send them a sample. None of them took the project on as an agent, but one did offer some advice which led me to restructure the work to the form that finally got published. The original had too much backstory and introduced the character of Jack much later-- in Chapter 4! Lesson learned: get into the story fast!

Another feature of the conference, which I hope to avail myself of this year, is they have a room set up where they sell books. Since "Dreamer" will be available in print, I plan to have a stack of my books for sale. Since by then "Two Faces Two Faced" should be available as an ebook, I might also take along some chap books of it to pass around. I have a few more ideas for promoting both books in months to come.

Love Is Murder is a great event for writers and readers of mystery and crime fiction. They offer workshops of interest to anyone. In 2009, for instance, I attended a talk by a real-life private detective who discussed what the job is really like and the methods he uses. Another had two self-defense instructors talking about fight-scenes, reality versus fiction. These were absolutely fascinating, and I hope the 2012 conference offers similarly instructive and entertaining sessions.  I strongly encourage anyone who wants to break into the genre to attend this conference. It's great fun, too!

Sequel...Cover...Etc.

Finally! The cover art for "Two Faces Two Faced" is done! I finally figured out how to (1) draw a particularly-shaped curved line on the computer and (2) how to lay it over the background already done. The design begs for a treatment of the title, but the lettering is up to my editor at Write Words.

I also hit upon a title for the "Dreamer" sequel. I wanted to follow the same construction, i.e., The Something Something. And now I've found it. And the title is: "The Changeling Kill."

For anyone who has read "Dreamer," here's a sneak preview. Jack Watson is hired by his ex-wife, and more of their history is explored. Tabitha Solo is back, and a big event in her career is becoming the focal point of Jack's case. They will struggle with how their disparate careers conflict with their relationship. And at the heart of it, a clever killer whose description and method of assassination change with every kill.

Here's another impassioned plea to hear from people who have read "Dreamer." I'd love to hear from you, either here on my blog or via Twitter or Goodreads or Authors' Den.

Shifting Gears

Or more like changing directions. Work halts on the "Dreamer" sequel (still not sure of the title) to proofread galley for "Two Faces, Two Faced." The sequel has reached a turning point anyway, and perhaps the break to work on "Faces" will give me additional perspective.

I did, however, resolve some issues mentioned in my last post. A character who I originally planned to die when I started may now survive. I feel comfortable with the decision, got a sense of relief when I made it, and that tells me it's the right one.

But I'm on a deadline now to get "Two Faces, Two Faced" ready to e-publish. I learned a lot from the process on "Dreamer" and intend to apply that to "Faces," giving it the fine-toothed-comb treatment. The cover art is almost done, although I'm still struggling with the final element. I can draw it, but just can't seem to get it into the computer. Trying out a new method this weekend. Once it all comes together, it should be an arresting cover.

The God Game

Writing the sequel to "The Dreamer Gambit," I am now rapidly approaching the point where certain decisions have to be made regarding my characters' lives. There are good people and bad people and every shade in between in the story. There will be a denouement, a climax, and I must decide who will survive and who will not.

Sometimes, good people don't make it; if only the bad guys were killed, it would seem kind of fairytale-ish. There are two characters in particular whose fate I am wrestling with, one of them because I've grown to like him, and the other because killing might be too much justice, deserved but over the top and therefore unrealistic. (Can too much realism be a bad thing? Would a deserved fate provide a catharctic satisfaction?)

An important question to consider also is if I feel there is yet another interesting episode in the lives of these people I have invented. Is this the birth of a series? I don't know yet. At the end of  "Dreamer," I felt strongly that Jack's story deserved deeper exploration, and that became the basis for the sequel. I left enough bits of "unfinished business" in the first book, mainly inserted during the repetitive editing phase, to sow the seeds for another book without leaving the original story hanging in any way. The case must be resolved, but the set-up of a private detective almost begs for more cases to solve.

Stay tuned...