My Fickle Muse

I think I might have Attention Deficit Disorder or something. I have been working on restructuring "The Janus Rule" and I thought it was going well. Then I bogged down. As I moved segments of text around and tried to maintain the proper sequence, my lack of an overall plan became a major obstacle. Where is this going? How can I determine what order events should happen in if I don't know where it all leads? Without a vision for the Big Scene, I can't make any concrete decisions. I'm an organized person by nature, and the lack of any basis for organizing offends me. Discouraged, I broke off for the day and tried to get a handle on it.

As I perused the Web later, I came across a timely (for me) article on one of the blogs I follow. Author Marla Madison's article about "Summer Slump" certainly resonated. Here's the link: http://marlamadison.blogspot.com/2013/07/summer-slump-7-ways-writers-can-survive.html
While the article does not suggest as much, three items sort of combined in my head--try something new, plan the next project, and keep writing. What came out of that was to put "The Janus Rule" on a brief vacation and hit on one of the future projects I had in mind.

I'm going back to a book I wrote some time ago about a murder in political circles, a conspiracy to cover it up, and the quest to blow the whistle. The manuscript eventually found an agent willing to shop it around, but it never found a home. A comment from one publisher resonated with me. "Another corrupt politician in Chicago? Big deal." The book went through a couple of rewrites, trying to warp it into more romantic suspense or suspenseful romance or something, but no cigar. The agent and I both gave it up and went our separate ways.

Now for the reboot. The story is now going to be set in the not-too-distant future, and there is more to it than the cover-up. I came up with a sort of pitch line for it yesterday afternoon:  Change comes slowly to human society. It creeps in while no one is looking and insidiously incorporates itself into the fabric of everyday life, accepted without question or resistance, until one day, no one remembers what changed. Once I had that down, I couldn't wait to get started on it.

Which I have. Its title goes with the last incarnation of the manuscript, and I think it might still work. My one reservation is that there is a nonfiction book out with the same title. Perhaps it's not that much of a problem, but I feel uncomfortable with it. For now, I'll give it a new working title of "Resistance."

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?

Uh-Oh

Yesterday, in the face of issues with where the story should go next, I paused to make a timeline document, nothing more than a list by day of the major events. In so doing, it became apparent that too much was happening on each day. Maybe not a problem on its face, but my nameless killer contacted a source who contacted a hired killer and the two of them met, all in one day. It comes off as improbable.

I can see I'm going to have to restructure "The Janus Rule" a bit for the sake of realism. Change the order of events, combine them, stretch out over more days, something. Not sure exactly what to do yet, so I'll be thinking about it over the long weekend.

Also anticipating galleys for "Seer, Tyro, Fiend" soon, which I will then begin to proofread. I already have some notes about errors I found in casual reading of it.

And I'm reading a novel at the same time, a mystery that came to my attention through Twitter, which I will review on Goodreads and Amazon when I'm done. I figure if I review books, maybe more people will reciprocate with reviews of my books. At least, I hope so.

Muse Takes A Holiday

At another of those spots where I'm not sure what's supposed to happen next, so I'm taking a short break, certain that if I do, it'll just come to me. That's how it usually happens at least. For some reason, the creative process can break down while seated at my computer. Then again, other times, things just start to flow.

These fits and starts can become very frustrating at times, but they have become the hallmark of the Jack Watson series. I think it's the multiple points of view that complicates it, as opposed to my other books which are first person, following a single thread. It's easier to stay in one character's head and view the story that way, but multiple POVs has its advantages too. Perhaps the problem lies in the fact that I'm not sure what the path ahead truly is. I have a few ideas for the big climactic scene but even that is still somewhat nebulous.

The long weekend will give me a good break over which to think things out. I have a lot to do in other areas besides writing, and I'd also like to enjoy some time with my husband while he's home. I've also started reading a novel which I purchased because of a Twitter post I read that sounded intriguing, which reminds me, I need to update my Goodreads book list to include it. I now keep a pad of paper at my elbow and write down stuff I need to do or check. And people told me I'd get bored without a regular day job!

Best Laid Plans

I sat down at my computer this morning with the plan to pound out a lot of pages on "The Janus Rule," but the great ideas I had in my head proved to be more difficult to put down. There are times where I will work out entire passages of dialog in my head, usually when I should be trying to get to sleep, and then forget the whole thing by morning, which can be very frustrating. I sometimes also think I have something well planned out only to realize it is still in the a formative stage. That's what happened today.

So Angel is investigating her case at the accounting firm, and my plan was for her to experience an encounter that would raise her suspicions about someone. It also involved her poking about an office of someone she already suspects, but I faced a dilemma of whether or not she should find something and if she did, would it exonerate that person or provide foundation for her suspicion? As I walked her through it, I found I kept changing my mind, mainly because it's time to get things moving, to get her onto some clues and maybe into a spot of danger. That was another of my big ideas--a little scene that will add another connection and also feature Angel's tough-as-nails side. It's got what I hope is a great line in it.

There was also the matter of doctoring earlier passages about her budding relationship to fit my new approach for her. All this added up to not producing the sort of output I thought I would. Such are the trials of being a "pantser."

Changing It Up

Generally, I don't do much "real" writing on weekends and holidays when my hubby is not at work, but I do a fair amount of thinking about it. I don't know that a serious writer can ever stop thinking about it. Anyway, an idea came to me over the weekend about "The Janus Rule" that resolved an issue I was having with the Angel Ortiz character. She's a tough lady and fiercely independent, and to have her pining over a man she just met sort of directed her character in a different direction. The idea was to have her meet this man and not be looking for a romantic entanglement. He's the one who is most worried about the rocky start of their relationship. So to incorporate this twist, I have to go back and examine anything about it that I've already written and make the necessary adjustments. 

Why not wait for the editing phase to do this, you might ask? One reason is that her character is still developing, solidifying in my mind. If I'm going to reevaluate her, the time to do it is now so that as I move forward with the plotting, it's based on who she is. The other reason is that if I wait for a full first draft to get done, there's a chance I might not address the changes carefully enough to avoid anachronisms or mixed messages. I could miss an important reference or decide her action in a scene based on her old persona must be rewritten to match up. This could cascade into other characters. 

My approach to writing is rather organic, and while I'm eager to have the story come together, I also don't want to rush it and do it badly. Editing is enough of a chore without having to keep an eye out for major elements like changing who a character is and making sure the changes all work. 

What Happens Next?

New scene in "The Janus Rule." Angel is about to do some investigating Jack would frown on, and I knew this was coming. What I haven't figured out yet is what she's going to find as a result. It's a bold move on her part, and that means she must find something of consequence.

Oh my! While I was writing the above with no clue where to go next, the inspiration hit me out of the blue! She'll see something that puts a different spin on things and creates a new conflict, but it will also lead to the resolution of her case. Eventually.

How does this happen? I find myself stuck on something, not knowing what to write next or where I want things to go, and then BAM! The idea just comes to me like magic. Perhaps I shouldn't try to pull back the curtain and see how it happens and be grateful that it does happen.

I need to think this one through before I do any more writing of it. Another character needs to have flesh put on his bones, and Angel's response to him needs to be determined. Maybe if I get back on my filing project, the magic will happen again.

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."

Bogged Down Again

Progress slowing down on "The Janus Rule" and I suspect other authors more organized than I am would say that lack of organization was to blame. I got through the scenes I found inspiration for the other day, but now I don't know where to go next. I'm sure it will come to me, but in the meantime, perhaps I can work on some notes for future projects. I have three of them in my head already. I've been sidetracked like this before, even to the point of dropping one book and starting another. So undisciplined. The muse wants what the muse wants.

I also get the nagging feeling I should be doing more in the name of promotion. I recently heard from a fellow author who has been contacting libraries about making appearances, and I had been thinking about doing the same thing. I'm already set up for a return to the Joliet Author Fest in October, but there are lots of libraries around the suburbs of Chicago. My plan is to get the message to them that I am willing to do signings, book fairs, and maybe even meet with small groups like book clubs or aspiring authors. I can handle small groups, but big crowds are anxiety inducing for me. But nothing ties my tongue faster than telling me I have a time limit. "Tell us about your book in 60 seconds." I'll try to talk and hear myself talking and keep track of how much time I've used up and it all turns into a big jumble. I can do it without a time limit (I think), but I seem to  get into trouble with one because I can't gauge time without looking at a watch or clock. Ah, well. . . In any case, I hope to have more to show on my various websites about upcoming events.

Can't Leave A Puzzle Unsolved

Well, I had to go back to www.wix.com and finish designing my website there. I know yesterday I complained about it and offered arguments why I did not need another site, but maybe it's just my years as a programmer that made it impossible to accept defeat. So now I have another website, http://kfauthor.wix.com/kathrynflatt. I'm thinking that maybe that site will take over being my main book site while leaving this one for blogging. Haven't decided yet.

I had a burst of inspiration yesterday afternoon for "The Janus Rule" and forged ahead on it this morning after some minor tweaks of earlier passages. It was one of those oooh-that's-good ideas, so good that I had no trouble remembering it (for a change) overnight. A lot of times, good ideas come to me when I don't have an opportunity to follow through or at least make notes, and then they are gone. Not this one, though. Maybe because I had inadvertently set the scene for it without seeing the connection until my ah-ha moment.

Sometimes, the muse works with me . . .

How Many Websites?

I spent (wasted) part of the morning trying to develop a website on Wix.Com. I'd seen the ads pop up on Facebook, and an author I know just created her site. I figured, it's free, so what the heck? Well, when I started creating the page of my books, I ran out of room and couldn't figure out how to get the rest of them on there. So maybe I don't really need another website. I have this blog and my Google site. What I was setting up in Wix wasn't all that different. Maybe it just isn't worth the time.

I need to get back to "The Janus Rule," which I thought about a fair amount over the weekend. The excrement is about to come into contact with the mechanical cooling device, as it were, and poor Jack is gonna be in the middle of it. My publisher, Arline Chase, references author Carla Neggers on this issue, if I may quote from Arline's blog: "...put your character in a hole and every time they try to climb out, throw more dirt down on them. If you throw enough dirt, according to Carla, the Big Gloom (don't you just love all these technical terms?) her name for the bleak moment (when the reader is certain it's going to end in disaster), will arrive without looking contrived." In Jack's case, the "dirt" will be the number of people who have it in for him. 

Sometimes It's a Struggle

I've spent a lot of the morning on "The Janus Rule" and the tricky scene I mentioned in yesterday's post. A lot of writing dialog and then back tracking to change it. How much to reveal? Should this be a new area of conflict or the resolution of one? What suspect should it point to? I want each major character to suspect someone else, and maybe one of them actually targets the right person. The Jack Watson books have always been complicated in this way with multiple points of view and devious plots by bad guys.

A few things I want to do differently with this book, however, remain in my thoughts. One, no F.B.I., which was involved in both "Dreamer" and "Changeling." I don't want it to become predictable, and the idea of a P.I.'s cases always leading to a crime of federal magnitude seems a bit preposterous. Two, I want unlikely heroes responding in unpredictable ways. In "Changeling," Jack wasn't the big hero in the end although he solved the puzzle. Time for him to be the tough action guy again? I don't know yet.

Over the last couple of days, I've also given more thought to another novel, the first one I ever finished and tried to market. It's the one that came back with all those repetitious phrases marked. I still like the story line, though, and the characters. It deserves a rewrite I think.

Then there's a third Windsong Lake plot I've been mulling over. I saw a picture posted on Facebook this morning that stirred the inspiration engine for it. I already have an exciting opening sequence, a set-up for the events to unfold, a crucial scene, at least one line of conflict. Maybe while I sort out my thoughts on "Janus," I should make some notes about this one.

Critical Passages

On to a new chapter in "The Janus Rule," i.e., Chapter 10. Another critical scene is underway, but even as I prepared to write this post, the thought hit me: Aren't they all?

I've seen advice to writers in a number of places that anything that does not move the story forward should be left out. Well, within reason, of course. I've read many a book where that advice was ignored. I find it annoying to read a number of pages about something the characters are doing only to find out that it really did not mean anything. It did not supply any new information, either about the plot or about the characters. On the other hand, writers are often told they need to flesh out the characters and add layers of imagery to put the reader in the scene, make the reader imagine what's happening. Conflicting advice? Not really, but hard to explain and execute. Granted, The Muse is hard to defy sometimes. The scene happens in my head and begs to be written down, even though the story will be fine without it. If that's the case, it gets cut during editing. Sometimes, a quick passage can pass the test just as comic relief. The key here is "quick." Okay, I guess this calls for an example.

In "The Dreamer Gambit," one of my main characters, Tabitha, is abducted by bad guys who want to know what she knows. She is then drugged and dumped on the street in a questionable part of town. She needs to be rescued. Two ladies of the evening find her and go through her purse while she lays there in a stupor. One of them has the kindness and presence of mind to call her emergency number which reaches Jack who was off meeting an anonymous contact with vital information. I got to play with a little humor in writing dialog for the two women as well as in their conversation with Jack, but it moved the story forward by solving the problem of how he could possibly find Tabitha in a big city.

In another passage, Jack and Tabitha take a trip out to the suburbs for some R-and-R. They go to a restaurant, they shop, she buys a music box. Over dinner, they discuss some aspects of her case, and Jack reveals some things about his past which help define his character. Basically, I got back to business in the space of a couple of short paragraphs. I believe this passes the test of what to leave in. BUT...and a big one...had I gone on in detail about the town they visited, the people they saw, the antique store and its owner who liked to entertain customers with magic tricks, maybe even inventing some dialog for him, that would have been too much. Creative, pleasant, memorable, full of imagery, but not essential to the plot. By the way, the music box does make an appearance later that opens a touch of conflict which leads to a turning point in Tabitha and Jack's relationship.

It's all about pacing, after all. Too much description or development of inconsequential stuff bogs everything down. For readers like me, it leads to a question at the end of the book, "But what about that business where they...?" If it did not add anything, I wind up feeling duped.

The Story Invents Itself

Another scene for "The Janus Rule" completed this morning, and it was a tough one. As I mentioned in yesterday's post, the conversation between Angel and a cop while on a date had to provide information while moving their relationship forward. Scenes like this one usually wind up going through a number of fits and starts. I'll write a piece of dialog and then change my mind about where it's going. When I started this particular passage, I wasn't really sure where it would lead specifically. I thought it might have Angel suspecting her new friend of something, since it's in her nature to do that. It didn't quite turn out that way, but that element will probably creep in relatively soon.

I had also expected to relay some of her findings on her case, but now I'll have to find another way to do that. She should be talking to Jack, but the logistics are getting in the way. There's another scene to write before I get to that, though, and maybe that one will show me how to get where I need to go.

Yesterday and today, I also did a little something on the promotion front. I went to my Amazon author page and updated all six novels with a "From The Author" segment, which I didn't know existed until yesterday. It's just a place where I can expand on the blurb that appears for each book, hopefully to further intrigue and entice readers.

A Simple Conversation

Done with the print edition of "Dabblers" for now, and today I started on the scene between Angel and the cop who is investigating the attempted murder of  Jack and/or Tabitha in "The Janus Rule." The cop is also something of a love interest for Angel, and they are on a date. I figured this would be one of those quiet, transitional scenes where two people converse and information is supplied to the reader as they supply it to each other. Simple, right?

Not really. Both of these people are suspicious types, and I've toyed with the idea of having them not quite trust each other. Trying to build that in makes their encounter twice as tricky. They already like each other, but they must now say something that makes the other leery of their intentions.

Another tricky bit is how to start revealing more about the currently-unidentified stalker/killer. Pretty soon, this character (Ha! You thought I was going to use a gender-specific pronoun, right?) will have to give some clues about motive and identity. At the same time, Jack and the police are investigating to learn who that person is and they will have to turn up something. But I still want it to be a complete surprise at the pinnacle moment.

Last night, while trying to get to sleep, I found myself imagining an opening for another Stefanie Durant book. It's funny how I have come to approach creating new stories with the word "conflict" flashing in my head like a neon sign. This opening sequence will have some action and suspense and introduce one layer of conflict at its conclusion. As usual, I still don't know the entire story myself, but I've got a ways to go on "Janus" before I can start. The time approaches, though, where I will have to start making notes.

Back On It

After a tumultuous Friday, I am back on track. I spent the better part of Friday in the Emergency Room with a minor health scare, but the doctors assured me I am fine. Due to that, not much work got done on "The Janus Rule," but I hope to get some more pages done today. 

Proofing for the print edition of "Dabblers" is more or less complete, and after a few blips along the way, the cover looks ready also. I'm anxiously awaiting a review that should be coming out soon. 

"Seer, Tyro, Fiend" is now a step closer to publication, I suspect as an ebook first because that's how the others have gone. Still no ETA on availability, however. 

Now that I am no longer encumbered by a cast and I have a car at my disposal, I'm giving more thought to investigating some promotional opportunities. I'm thinking of sending some letters to local libraries in the hopes of making some appearances to promote my books. I've also started reviving the idea of that sideline in editing/critiquing for unpublished writers, but right now, there are a lot of other demands on my time, so it will probably have to wait for a bit. 

Digging for Details

The pages keep mounting in "The Janus Rule." This morning, I wrote one of those fun little scenes which features an informant and a clandestine meeting in a quirky place. I was on the brink of starting it yesterday but needed to decide on a locale. The perfect place came to me while waiting to pick up my husband from work. I chose the Chicago Civic Opera House, a massive old building on the western end of Chicago's downtown area. 

First I had to do a bit of research on the building to get the right names for parts of its structure, which the informant would use when describing where he wanted to meet with Jack. The informant's name came to me on the drive back home, but his physical description popped into my head as I was writing the segment. 

Another pause for research came when this character tells Jack the name of a hit man. They always come up with clever code names for themselves, at least in fiction, and I wanted something unique. I did a web search for a list of predators, and serendipity provide a list of apex predators, those that do not have any predator enemies of their own. This seemed like a treasure trove of ideas. The list of predators was long, and I looked through it for something unfamiliar, a name that sparked no image of an animal. I found it. The perentie, a monitor lizard found in Australia. Reading through a description on Wikipedia, a couple of traits sealed the deal: they avoid humans and disappear before they are seen, and they will feed on other lizards, including their own kind. A hit man who avoids humans and disappears before he is seen and will attack others of his kind--a natural choice! The perfect bad guy. 

This might seem like a lot of research for a very brief passage, but it only took minutes to do. Makes me think what authors used to go through before the age of the World Wide Web. 

Next up, developments in Angel's new relationship that will complicate her life and everything else. 

Plot Coming Together

"The Janus Rule" progresses, at least in my head. I had a busy weekend with various car issues. I did have some think time and made some notes, which I hope to jump into today.

Some of the ideas I came up with require going back into the already-written stuff and making some revisions. New information is about to change the picture of who the shooter is and who the target is. Also, my notes contain an explanation of the scheme that led to the case Angel is working on. Some of that continues to evolve, however, as I tackle the old question of how big it should be. Jack Watson, being the ethical ex-cop he is, believes that any proof of illegal activity he finds while investigating should be reported to the appropriate law enforcement authorities. He won't try to solve them himself, although he usually ends up being the one to figure it out anyway.

I had an interesting cover concept come to mind too, but I'm still playing with the image in my head. The first two Jack Watson books had some sort of inverted image on it, i.e., the chess piece and the masks, so I'll incorporate that motif again. Given the title on this one, I'll have to work the two-faced aspect into it as well. I don't really want to use a mask-type representation of Janus, because that's too much like the "Changeling" cover. I'll be thinking about it.

In other news, as they say, "Seer, Tyro, Fiend" is in the works, too, so I'll be expecting galleys on it soon. I'm also waiting on pins and needles for a review of "Dabblers" that's coming from Windy City Reviews. The reviewer has told me already she liked the book and asked if there would be a sequel. At least it should be a favorable review.

This and That

No, I'm not delivering a lesson on overused words as the title of this post might imply. It's just an indication of scattered subject matter.

My manuscript for "The Janus Rule" is up to 100 pages and almost 20,000 words. An important connection is the conspiracy case has just been revealed, and the killer/stalker has resorted to extreme measures. Good progress, although Microsoft provided an obstacle in its inimitable way yesterday. I typed the following line of dialog, contained in quotes: "Ahh, Denton's old alma mater." After that, I started to supply a description of the speaker's reaction. When I typed, outside of quotes, She appeared to . . . all three words came out with a red underscore, signifying they were misspelled. Apparently, Microsoft Word decided based on the words "alma mater" that I wished to proceed in Spanish. It took a while to search through the Help function as well as some other resources to find out how to (a) make it stop doing that, and (b) make not do that ever again. I found I had to select the entire document and then change the language back to English. Then I had to go into the Options settings and turn off the feature that automatically detects a change of language based on what is typed. It seems the more I work with Word, the more automatic features I find I must turn off because they just cause problems.

Naturally, I'm already thinking about what I'll write after "Janus" is completed. I have ideas for both a third Windsong Lake book as well as a revamp of an older manuscript that will re-situate it in the not-too-far future. It's fun thinking up features of the future. In some cases, I'm merely extrapolating on technology and social behaviors I see every day. Occasionally, a news story about something just announced or projected gets my attention and provides another idea. For the Windsong Lake story, I have in mind some compelling scenes and a good handle on the situation of the mystery at hand.

I guess I'll have to decide which one I want to work on once I reach that point. Perhaps more inspirations and ideas will come along in the meantime and tip the scales of indecision.

Back Story

A very productive morning. "The Janus Rules" has turned out to be somewhat more complex than any of my other novels because it has two different "cases"--the one Jack's firm is hired for and the stalker menacing him and Tabitha. Yesterday, I broke off writing at the point where Angel is about to do her second interview while undercover at the client's accounting business when I realized I needed to know what this next person's angle is. It was time to work on back story.

Earlier, I had started a "Notes" document. I often do this while in the process of working on a different novel, a place to capture ideas. I had already made a list of characters, especially the staff of the accounting firm. This morning, I opened that document and figured out who those people are. I created a plan involving a couple of them and embroidered the history of another who will look like a suspect. I also wrote up notes on the stalker, which led to some quick research on things related to that person's motive. So now I know who the "bad guys" are, what they plan to do and why. Of course, some of the other characters will initially look like baddies, too, just to keep things interesting, and one of the baddies will not look so guilty early on. A criminal mastermind needs to be clever, right?

Woven around these two centers of action are the protagonists. Jack is questioning his lifestyle choices--does he want to move into peaceful family life and stay away from potential danger or does he want to be on the front lines, doing the investigative work he loves? Tabitha knows of Jack's inner debate, and while she does not want to give up her career, she wants that home life, too. If she remains focused on her singing, it might give Jack license to focus on his business, but how then will they ever move toward the future they desire? Angel wants to prove herself to Jack, who has replaced her father in a way as someone she wants approval from, that she can be a private investigator, but she often questions her own abilities. She's got a love interest, but her tendency to be overly suspicious of just about everyone gets in the way.

This IS getting complicated. But it's fun!