9/15/2014

Mid-September Updates & Thoughts


Now that the beginning of the school year is behind me, and the students and schedules are starting to settle, I  can start to focus some of my time/energy outside of the workday on my SmartPig business and my writing again.


I won't kid you ... a lot of the writing and editing process is supported/enhanced/maintained by my intake of coffee. Finding the correct balance between sleeping and shaking can be a difficult process.


The first order of business for my autumnal writing is to edit the novel that I wrote over the summer. I'm filling in some holes in the first draft, in terms of scenes and characters and connective tissue that should help the story hold together and flow more effectively. Gail and I will be working on a series of major and minor edits for the next 6-8 weeks.

After that, we'll be sending the mostly finished work out to another editor for line/copy editing ... by that time, we've read the book so many times that we're snowblind when it comes to seeing any remaining issues.


After the new novel is fixed and ready for publication (and maybe even a bit before that), I'll start working on 2 new projects:

  • a serial fiction project that I hope to be hosting through JukePop
  • writing down ideas for the next novel (to be written in the summer of 2015)

I'm interested in both of the new stories in my head, and can't wait to let them out to play, once I have the time and energy.  

I've wanted to try my hand at serial fiction for a long time, and envision this project running for 20 to 30 installments of a couple of thousand words each. The protagonist lives in the lee of a glacial erratic in the woods between two small towns in the Adirondacks, and the story will see him discover some interesting and disturbing things about the places and people around him, while we also learn more about him and a shadowy group known as 'The Guides" in each installment.

The next Tyler Cunningham Adirondack Mystery (the eighth, an idea that takes my breath away), starts with the discovery of a body, and quickly progresses to much worse things. Tyler's semi-accidental involvement in, and exposure to, the investigation leads him to believe that this is not a random and isolated act of violence, but the work of a seasoned serial killer who may be operating, or based, in the Adirondacks.


It's a wonderful feeling, to enjoy writing the stories, and to feel the ideas for them come with ever-increasing ease and speed. I have a system for taking/keeping notes now that allows me to keep track of the ideas and stories, and it seems as though the writing and planning all work together to establish and maintain a creative momentum. 

A lot of the credit, and all of my thanks, goes to all of the people who have been so supportive of my efforts over the last few years ... I literally couldn't have done any of this without you.


I had a fantastic week in sales last week (my best ever!) ... I sold over 500 copies of my books in the last 7 days! I hope that all of the sales translate into reading enjoyment on the part of those who bought the books, and that some of them translate into reviews on Amazon and Goodreads.

Thanks,

Jamie

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