A Tale of Three Books!
Got Trouble
Hi, all. I have progress updates on three books to share. First, there's Got Trouble, my contemporary thriller. That book I'm hoping to have released by the end of this month. I just need to do one more editing pass and share it with my copy editor. I got a cover made by my cover designer, Olivia Pro Design, and I'm really happy to share it with you. Here it is:
Kenai
Second, I've gotten through my first editing pass on my sci fi book. I've tentatively titled it Kenai. I've been trying to think of artsy titles, but none of them seem to work - all are either already taken, too stupid, or too spoilery. Instead, I decided calling the book the name of the (imaginary) planet it mostly takes place on would be good. That's what I did with Daros, and it worked out well, I think, so maybe it's a trademark or something? I figure we 21st century humans name stuff after other far distant places (e.g. New York, Memphis TN, Madrid IA, Olympus Mons), so in the future, people might name planets after old Earth locations. Kenai is a name derived from a word in the Dena'ina language meaning "flat, meadow, open area with few trees" or "base, low ridge," and it is also the name of a city and peninsula in Alaska. I may still change the book's title if I can think of something different, but I think I like it.
Here's a picture of one of the most exciting moments in my writing process. It comes after the first draft and the first editing pass, when I get a copy of the book printed on actual paper to share with my Reader #1 (my wife, Christina). She marks the books up with all kinds of notes and comments, and she really makes each and every book better by telling me what's working and what's not and by catching my inevitable glitches and typos. She's maybe going to start in on this one over the weekend, which is really exciting. You can see I was so excited to get the book that I took the picture in my car in the parking lot of Office Depot.
The Unnamed Suspense Novel
I've also been working hard this month on another new book. This one is a contemporary suspense novel set in present-day North Carolina. I've been writing it during NaNoWriMo, a national writing event that I've taken part in for the past four years, and which has produced big pieces of a lot of my last few books (The Outcast Crown, Daros, and Got Trouble). This month, I got most of a new book done. I don't have a title yet, and I'm working on the harrowing last few chapters, trying to make it all come together in a satisfying way. That's always a challenge with mysteries, and this one has a whole lot of clues and characters and moving parts, so it's a little tricky bringing it all home. Here's my progress, with daily writing each day this month, even the holidays.
So, three books, all making their way to my readers. I'm looking at the following tentative release dates:
- Got Trouble - December 2023 (thriller)
- Kenai - February 2023 (sci fi)
- Unnamed Suspense Novel - maybe May 2023? (suspense)
I'm excited about all three, and I hope you enjoy them.
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