This site is a place where I discuss my writing journey, my books and stories.
Here I am IRL. I almost didn’t cringe the entire time watching myself. Let me know what you think in the comments.
I am starting to see the sketches for the book cover for Emergence Ascended. Soon to be revealed. If you have not read Emergence Collective yet, there is still time before Emergence Ascended is released. ETA mid-November (early December at the latest)
HERE IS THE LINK to the interview by a local video blogger.
Do things that make you uncomfortable in your life complacency and comfort do not help you grow. So I am taking a heaping spoonful of my own medicine. I have always firmly believed that to grow, you need something to push against, even if that thing is your stage fright. I hope you enjoy it! for me, let the cringe begin.
After thinking about Emergence Ascended for way too long, and now that I am finished, I found there is a dead space in my head. I sat down to put together some notes and instinctively opened my ‘work in progress’ that is no longer in progress, at least the creative part of it. I had a strange feeling of separation. It’s not as dramatic as postpartum depression (not that I am trivializing a mental health condition), but the correlation is that there was a sense of “Oh, okay, what do I do now?” Of course, it was brief; I have 2 more novels in line, so there is plenty to do PLENTY.
It was a weird feeling, not a sad one, but it was definitely something to acknowledge. When you are close to a project and then it’s over, there is an almost whimsical feeling of longing for the ‘good ol days’. At that same moment, there was also a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction. I did complete it, and I am really happy with the ending. A strange bag of mixed feelings.
When I completed Emergence Collective, I was too elated to feel any loss. However, I did have ideas to put on paper (Like the ghost story I am starting). I pushed the ghost story aside to write the sequel, so maybe I didn’t suffer because the next project was in the same world as the one my brain was still stuck in. I wonder if other writers feel similar things after they finish? To me, this isn’t a negative thing; it’s an introspective look at myself, a new emotion that I do not have much experience in. Maybe I can put it in a story. (Everything is fodder for inspiration.)
Moving on… I’m still thinking about the title(and working title) for ‘The Ghost Story’ (that is going to get old.) But Yellow Man, or the man in yellow. Ohh, maybe something catchy like Slicker Man or just ‘Slicker.” Something Stephen Kingish. He always had cool one-name titles: Cujo, Carrie, Christine… That seems to work. Anyway. I started my research (before I finished Emergence Ascended) because I can’t stop myself from working on three things at once) on yellow man, the guy in a yellow rain slicker? Ugh. I started researching the next book.
I had an interesting conversation with a Paranormal investigator from a group in the UK. And I think I have my finger on the pulse of how those things operate. I have a plan for some of the early background stuff in my world-building. I have the setting in my head, and the characters are starting to flesh out. I am not sure how spoilery I should get here; after all, this blog is as much for me (maybe more) as it is for you. Since you are reading this, you are in the Hand-prints of Darkness Insiders club. So maybe you get the privilege of witnessing not only the behind-the-scenes process but also some of the secrets rattling in my head. Maybe it will be fun to expose the inner workings of my brain, for better or worse. However, if I did lay bare my secrets to the story, it would make writing about the process easier.
Maybe if you heard it, it won’t sound confusing, but to me, a little dyslexic, attention deficit muddled brain, I am trying the best way to approach it.
“Emergence Ascended” is now finished! I think I found an Illustrator for the book cover. (Of course, you will be the first to see it when it is completed.) I have no idea when it will be released on Amazon (Kindle and paperback), but my hopes are it will be released sometime in mid-November!
I have a few more projects lined up; next is my ghost story. I am very excited about this. As a discovery writer, or “seat of the pants” writer, as some call it, I feel pretty comfortable. I do hit a few snags here and there and sometimes have to write my way out of corners I put myself in, but I manage to muddle through. However, the ghost story is pretty complex, and there are a lot of components that need to mesh just right. So, I am going to make myself uncomfortable and try to do an “outline.” I know it’s strange saying those words, but I’m going to give it a go.
I already have a plan; I want to start by gathering up all my characters and writing bio’s on them. Establish relationships and behind-the-scenes details that may or may not make it in the book. I am excited about this process since I am usually getting to know the characters as I write them.
Also, since there are some complex mechanics, I am flirting with the idea of writing most or part, at least from the end. And work my way backward. I am not sure if that will stick; I will have to play around and see.
Thank you for checking out my blog! If you like it, leave a ‘like’ or a comment! I love responding to comments and I do my best to respond to all of them. (If you commented in the past and I missed it, I apologize. Thanks again!
Oh, I can’t wait to share! But it’s a project that is out of my hands, so I have to wait to tell you. I have always been horrible about keeping a secret. Not that I can’t be trusted with a confidential secret or something like that. The secrets I have a hard time keeping are things like a gift I can’t wait for you to enjoy or a particularly exciting piece of news. So this is as far as I can go; just a tease for something very cool coming up, so Stay tuned; it could be any day now.
As far as my progress on “Emergence Ascended” goes, The rewrite of chapter 42 is very satisfying, and I started chapter 43 with great momentum. It’s hard to gauge because I don’t know what I am writing until I write it. However, I think chapter 44 will be the last. The fun stuff is over after that, and then there are edits and artwork for the cover. (I am in the market for an illustrator for the book cover, so if there is someone you like, send them my way.)
Now that I am getting close to completing this book, I have to resist the urge to start my next one. My attention deficit disorder compels me to start a new project when I have enough of the last project done to be considered ‘close enough’ and then jump to the next. And that explains why I have hundreds of unfinished works. (to be fair, most are not good enough to finish.)
I want to thank “Jolene,” whoever you are, for Leaving a great review of “Emergence Collective’ on Amazon. It means more than I can say. Ratings and reviews help bring awareness to my books and to me, So I appreciate it sincerely.
It’s October. The veil between worlds is thin, and the old gods demand tribute. Blood will flow! Muahahahahahaa! Maybe I should have waited to post this until tomorrow, Friday the 13th (or lucky you to the Australian readers), To post my sacrifice piece. Okay, not a blood sacrifice, but I donated part of my soul to the cause.
It doesn’t happen a lot, and maybe it should more often. I don’t know. I had spent a fair amount of time writing chapter 42. One of the last chapters in “Emergence Ascended.” I am wrapping up the main conflict and setting up for the satisfying conclusion that will make or break my book. Nothing is worse than getting invested in a story only to have it fall flat in the end. (my new fear). I recently watched a movie that did just that, though I can’t remember the name because I try to forget disappointment.
The chapter flowed well and had all the elements I was hoping for. The tone was right, and I think it invoked the emotion I was trying to instill. Then, I deleted it. I even set up for it a couple times in earlier chapters (I had to go back and change those breadcrumbs, too)
It was painful. I do not get much time to write (this book could have been completed a year ago, to be honest), so the writing I do accomplish is precious. I deleted it because, even though I knew where I was going, it didn’t read like I wanted when I got there. My inner critic told me things like, “It’s pretentious, expository, and leaned too heavily on outside references.” DELETE.
Sometimes, sacrifices are needed, and some are even worth it. So, I have mixed feelings, but the strongest is eagerness. Excitement to take another approach. I am so close to the end, its worth my effort to make sure the reader gets the best out of me.
Thank you for taking the time to check out my post!
Remember, I’m still new to this writing thing. So sometimes I am reinventing the wheel or discovering a known thing (to the wizened writer). Every once in a while, I come to a fork in the road of the plot. I am a discovery writer, so as I am writing the story, I am making it up as I go. I have a mental road map about the direction the story will go. A rough idea about how it will end. I surprise even myself sometimes at how it is turning out, a new character I add to fill a gap might end up being integral to the plot as a whole and one I had not conceived of when I started writing.
So as it turns out, I again, have to come to a decision about what some characters are going to do. It’s not an issue with writer’s block, though I think it’s related a cousin, or uncle to writer’s block maybe. This has happened about 3 times in this story “Emergence Ascended,” and a few times in “Emergence Collective,” but the emergence collective one stumped me for a few months LOL. I write as I go, but I also think about the story as a whole when I am not writing (am I still a discovery writer?) In particular when an important scene (like the middle of the 3rd act). Someone I love has to die. Which of the bad guys deserve redemption? Am I supposed to pick up the dry cleaning? ( sorry that’s how my brain works and why it takes so long to write) I have a general idea how this book ends. but there are some situations that are almost interchangeable but will slightly alter my original idea (not that that is a bad thing) but which option will make the best, most satisfying end?
I had been quite productive in the last few weeks, I can feel the end coming and that has inspired me and that inspiration turned into an urgency. thing were smooth and flowing (I get that weird flow state when I write sometimes) well until now. I will reflect on who is going to die, who is worthy.
Thank you for visiting
I bet you have wondered why I have not posted an Audible update lately. That project is on pause. It has been challenging to get clean recordings, and the amount of editing made the project bigger than it should have been. It is much work for a crappy outcome. OK, I was getting better at it. You can still listen on Spotify to my progress at narrating; the sound quality was also improving. (It was pretty cringy the first few episodes.)
So I was recording in my dining room; it is wide open to the kitchen and living room with vaulted ceilings, so everything echoes, and (5 cats) are noisier than they should be. So, I am waiting for a space to carve out for a permanent recording area. In the next few months, I should have a niche to call my own, and I will resume recording then.
In the meantime, I continue to chip away at Emergence Ascended, on chapter 30, with just over 50 thousand words, so I am nearing completion. I started my research on the ghost story I am writing next. I have been corresponding with a paranormal investigator group in the UK, so I look forward to some spooky tales to flesh out my insane idea. If you are or know a ghost hunter or paranormal investigator, send them my way!
Thank you for taking the time to check out my blog; feel free to leave a comment or drop a “Like” my way; I sincerely appreciate it.
I am making good progress on “Emergence Ascended” (the sequel to “Emergence Collective.”) I am getting close to the final chapters and I couldn’t be happier. I am working with an Artist, Nora Ravenhorn for some digital art. Here is an image of Serenity Gates, one of the characters in “Emergence Ascended” (click the picture for a link to her Facebook)
The golf ball-sized chrome sphere appeared in the middle of the pine and seventh avenue intersection. It hovered silently and unwavering as a tractor-green waste management truck collided with it, punching a perfect hole through the length of the truck. Out of control, the dump truck plowed into the traffic ahead, tossing a few small cars aside as it ground to a halt. Another perfectly round hole pierced through the vehicle following the truck, and it, in turn, smashed violently into the garbage truck. In a desperate attempt to avoid the collision in front, the third vehicle braked hard and turned sharply. It slid sideways, the momentum carrying the car into the sphere, forcing the globe through the temple of the driver’s head like a hole punch. The sphere sat steady unmarred, with a mirror finish that made it appear innocent despite the carnage surrounding it.
Shocked at the scene, the onlookers quickly noticed the strange imperturbable object that had caused so much damage and bloodshed. One of the witnesses sprang into action in the seconds that followed the collisions. He rushed to the man with the perfect circle of gore just beginning to ooze out of his head, deciding in horror that there was no help, and looked into the back seat for any passengers that may need assistance. The body slumped over, its former owner no longer in control, and fell into the sphere still hovering inside the car.
Hand-prints of Darkness 