Updates and Stuff

I completed checking of the revised galley for "Seer, Tyro, Fiend" this morning, so it should be ready to go. My publisher says the ebook should be released in September! Print edition date is December, but advance copies should be available as soon as the POD files are uploaded.

Well, it's official now. I'm a reviewer for Windy City Reviews.This site is where writers help other writers by reviewing their works for free. I volunteered because I know first hand how hard it is to get reviews on a book, and because "Dabblers" was reviewed here. The only requirement is that the author be a Chicago Writers Association member or have some other connection to Chicago, i.e., a Chicago-based publisher. Rules for submission are on the site. Writers looking to submit go through the list of reviewer profiles and choose someone who is interested in the type of book they wish to have reviewed. Then the submission goes to the coordinator who facilitates the process. I'm eagerly awaiting my first reviewer assignment!

Working on the new book, about half way through the first pass at polishing. It has a long way to go. Still thinking about cover art. Is there some other concept other than the one in my head that would be as good or better? Is there any way I could do it myself or should I look for a real artist? Still unsettled on this one.

I've also had some ideas for the third Windsong Lake book which I need to research a bit. They have to do with a puzzle in an old mansion that Stefanie is asked to solve. First, though, I need to know what the puzzle is about and how to execute it. And I already have an opening scene planned in my head.

All Mapped Out

Over the weekend, I planned the rest of "Resistance" in my head. Really. I know what all the scenes are pretty much--they kind of track with the older version of the manuscript--and how it turns out. Naturally, there will be details to iron out along the way, and then the arduous task of proofing, editing, polishing, proofing, etc., etc. I am debating internally about the title. The thought I had first was calling it "ReSys10s" which phonetically comes out to something close to "Resistance." Would that be clear to potential readers? Is it too clever and cute? It does appear in the novel, of course, but rather late into it. The title of the ms. before the rework was "Where Power Lies." It does fit the work because it's about the secret lines of power that exist as well as how that power structure falsifies things. The only other matter which remains unclear is if there will be a sequel or if this story wraps it up.

I left off writing a third Jack Watson mystery in favor of doing "Resistance" and having something unfinished can nag at me. I've also got some good ideas about the next Windsong Lake book, but I may have mentioned earlier that I have to create an intricate, enigmatic puzzle to be solved before I can write about it. The inspiration for that beckons where the Jack Watson book doesn't seem to lead anywhere yet. I imagine I'll get back to it eventually, but I don't want to commit to it and spend time trying to come up with something when my imagination is freely handing out new stuff for other books.

Undisciplined me...

A Pacing Quandary

Working on "Resistance" this morning, I'm still in the section where I need to reveal a lot of information. Dee is expanding her horizons, so to speak, learning about a different sort of life that's available to her even as her former life is falling apart. The new life comes with many benefits but new risks.

While all this is interesting and open to creativity, there's a part of my brain warning about the pace slowing down. Laying out these facts behind Dee's opportunity is important groundwork, especially if "Resistance" were to become a series as was originally intended with its first incarnation. Yet the current mystery is somewhat stalled while all this stuff gets out. It's hard to tell exactly what impact it has or will have while writing it in such small pieces from day to day. Perhaps the thing to do is keep at it, lay all the pavement for the next phase of the mainline plot and worry about editing later.

On another front, I have occasionally lapsed into thoughts about another Windsong Lake book, for which I already have some notes about scenes. An idea about the shape of the mystery came to me yesterday, and of course, seeing the story develop in my head always makes me want to start writing. But I know I must have some discipline in my writing. I already put aside Book 3 of the Jack Watson series to do "Resistance." Also, the second Windsong Lake book, "Seer, Tyro, Fiend" isn't even out yet.

Getting Down and Catching Up

With the holiday weekend over, it's time to get back to it. This morning, I started looking at "The Janus Rule" to see how to fix the problem I found last week, i.e., things progressing too fast. Doing this revision now may help solidify the vision for the rest of the book too. The main problem is that, as I read over what I've written, I like some of it so much that I resist changing it. I guess it's good in a way.

On the promotional front, I received an excellent review for "Dabblers" on its Facebook page, and I've added it to pages in my Google site as well as this blog. The full review will come out on Windy City Reviews and should also appear on Amazon and Goodreads. In an exchange of emails with the reviewer, I've also got some potential appearance opportunities ahead. In addition, another Write Words author and I have been discussing joint appearances at local libraries.

Tomorrow, I'll be hosting a Q&A session on Goodreads (that's Tuesday and Wednesday, July 9 & 10). Hopefully, other members will join in and ask questions about my novels. Goodreads is a great site for readers and authors, and I heartily encourage anyone who likes books to join. It's free and full of good information about books.

Talking with my husband yesterday, I mentioned that after this project, I have three more books on deck to be written. A third entry in the Windsong Lake series has a sort of working title, "Moonstone Manor." The other two will be reworks of earlier books, both with a science fiction feel. I don't write "hard" science fiction, loaded with technology and space battles. I'm more interested in putting characters in unusual circumstances in an exploration of what it is to be human, what drives us, what motivates us. Some call this "soft" science fiction, but what's in a name?

Getting Organized

Not too much writing going on yet today, but I'll be getting on it after lunch some. I started on a long-overdue project to straighten out my home filing system, still in disarray after moving to this house two years ago. Papers misfiled, in no particular sequence, can't find anything when I need it. While it's all nicely hidden in file drawers, a few attempts to locate items which should have been simple turned into a major undertaking and without much success. I'm an organized person by nature, so not being able to find things and encountering disorganization really bothers me. So maybe I'll work on a little each day, because not working on my novel bothers me too.

I do have some more scenes mapped out in "Janus" as well as signs of some structure going forward, ideas about what should happen to get where I want to go. The really unusual thing about this book is that a lot is happening in a short period of time, with several chapters covering a single day. That might be on account of having so many POV characters and two separate (?) cases going on at once. Also, lots of different conflicts.

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I took a breather at a stuck point and made some notes for future projects--a third Windsong Lake book and revamps of two earlier manuscripts. One of the latter will be mainly a complete rewrite of my first completed novel, but my note on it addressed an issue of character. As written, one of my protagonists does something bad, but since I like him, I made it so what he did wasn't totally his fault. I guess back then I didn't want to besmirch his hero standing. When I rewrite it, he's still going to do the bad thing and suffer the consequences, but he'll have to take responsibility for his decision and face a dilemma over it. I think he'll come off as more of a real person rather than as some sort of saint.

Now I'm itching to get back on "Janus."