Updates and a Quick Trip around the Writerverse

Time to bring you up to speed on my progress, and highlight some other writers’ goings-on!

One: I wanted to publish GhostCop in July, but I’m pushing that to September because I’ve been mulling things over and I realize that I want/need to tweak a few things. It’s all minor stuff, but stuff I need to address so as to make the book more resonant (I hope). I’ll tackle those revisions (shouldn’t take more than a few days) after I finish first edits on Forgotten Stars III.

Two: Hey, what about Forgotten Stars III? Well, I’m a bit behind where I wanted to be by now, but I still hope to get the book to beta-readers by mid-April. I hit a mini-slump last week (in general writing terms), and I had consecutive chapters that were, shall we say, a bit problematic. These chapters required a bit more editorial heavy lifting than I’m used to. Luckily, as I write this, I have moved past that particular obstacle! Huzzah!!

Three: Lighthouse Boy continues a-chugging along. This book is going to be enormous, so I’m leaning toward breaking it into two books anyway. The draft is currently at about 175,000 words, and there will likely be another 25-30K before the draft reaches a logical break point in the story, so I’m probably going to call BOOK ONE done and and start writing a GhostCop sequel.

Four: Oh, did I mention that I have the title for GhostCop? No? Well, I have the title for GhostCop. I’ll announce that later in the summer, when my plans for that book’s release start to ramp up.

Five: What’s after that? Well, I’m planning on a break from the Forgotten Stars series after Book III. I’m actually planning a second series of space operas that will take place in the exact same universe, but they won’t be a part of the Forgotten Stars story at all (in fact, they may not even take place at the same time as those books) and they’ll have a more adult tone. I’m thinking a mashup of James Bond and Firefly. We’ll see. I already have ideas for these, and I’ve even started character sketches (which is something I rarely do, but I thought I’d give it a shot this time).

Six: There is no six. That’s about it.

And now for some goings-on with other writers I know and love!

::  Writer Jenna Woginrich has posted an excerpt from a book she’s writing about her relationship with her horse, Merlin. Woginrich is one of my favorite online personalities, and she’s a damned fine writer. Her dream was to live on her own farm and being a part of a farm community, and she decided some years ago to do just that. If you’re in want of inspiration for tenaciously grabbing hold of the life you want, check her out.

I still remember parking it on my parents’ wrap-around porch and telling it, no, promising it, that I would write about it someday. There on the slate-blue paint leaning against a white railing I promised a bike from Kmart that I would write a book about her. So that’s what I’m going to do. Kind of.

Let’s hit the wind.

::  Ksenia Anske on being denied her brain:

Because I was born a woman, I was the second sort from the moment I got out of my mother’s womb. I was abused. I was underfed. I was neglected. I was dismissed. I was told I was wrong, no matter how hard I tried to please. But worst of all, I was denied my brain.

Powerful stuff.

::  I have to admit that I am long past the point where I find inspiration in the rejection letters of big-name writers. But hey, check out JK Rowling’s rejection letters from her Robert Galbraith novel, if you like that sort of thing.

::  All-around fab person Briana Mae Morgan wrote a play called Touch, and she posted it, one scene at a time, on her blog. Here’s Act I, Scene I. (It’s in two acts. I can’t vouch for it because I haven’t read it yet, but Briana’s awesome, so I’m sure it’s fine.)

::  Sara Letourneau on the astonishing masterpieces that are the three scores to the Lord of the Rings films, by Howard Shore. She names favorite cues and everything! Good stuff. That music is amazing and makes for great writing music as well. (That reminds me…write a post about music and writing….)

That’s all for now. See you around the Galaxy!