End Of 2020 Roundup

 

Most of us will be glad to see this year over. It certainly was a difficult one! As a writer and someone who is used to being housebound most of the time, I had it easier than most. I already work from home so I've long since gotten over that 'cooped up' feeling. I was able to stay in contact with family outside of my household and friends via the cell phone or online on my PC. I have a tablet with a camera so chatting with folks virtually face-to-face was possible. Still there were some scares, shortages of supplies, and a lot of anxiousness over loved ones who had to be out there where the germs were floating around. Plus we had all sorts of unrest and the storms and wildfires... This was a year I'd like to move on from myself.

Yet plenty of writing got done here. I finished the 7th Jezebel Johnston pirate novel, wrote a western novel that I was invited to do, got my proposal accepted and completed another story for the third and final Monster Earth anthology Mechanoid Press is issuing, and also banged out a second Chandra Smoake short that I still need to finalize, thought it's essentially done. Off and on I worked at a Vagabond Bards novel I started last year, but never quite finished because it kept getting set aside. I also continued picking away at another Sinbad tale for Airship 27's series that might just turn out to be a novel, because the concept is big enough. That's what I've been plugging away at quite often lately. I don't get as much writing down around the winter holidays because there's so much else going on, but I've sat down and banged keys whenever I could. I've dabbled here and there in other projects without much to report, and I've done some editing for friends who asked nicely and return the favor. I wrote my last town newsletter column back in November, because the person running it decided to shut it down. I'd been with them since June 2013 and wrote one for each month of the year since. December will be the final one. It was fun while it lasted, kind of a busman's holiday.

In March, Airship 27 released the 6th Jezebel Johnston book, SISTERS OF VENGEANCE.

 I had one book this year come out from Pro Se back in April, BY THE WAYSIDE TALES.

 In June, my first Chandra Smoake short story, SMOAKE AND MIRRORS, appeared in Occult Detective Magazine—which was my first UK sale.

I did do a galley draft review for one of the Companion Dragon Tales books LAZLO AT HOME back in October, but it hasn't come out from Pro Se yet and I'm doubtful I'll see it before sometime next year—hopefully! We haven't had a release in that series since 2016, and there are three books in the queue right now. Overall I have not had a lot of releases this year, but it's been a slow year for everyone. Yet on my end, the writing goes on, regardless.

I did get some good news from Airship 27 recently. The 7th Jezebel Johnston book, subtitled MASTIFF, is in production now. I have seen and am posting here one of the gorgeous interiors done by the uber-talented and regular nice guy Mr. Rob Davis.

I hear that Adam Shaw will be doing the cover art. The book itself should be out by the end of January/beginning of February according to head honcho and Air Chief Ron Fortier. So there's something to look forward to while I'm working on JJ#8!

Well that's what's been happening with my writing this year anyway. I'll tell you honestly, I have not made enough money writing to even think of supporting myself, though I work at it every chance I get. But other than raising my family, and all the gardening along with the music and art & craft stuff I've done over the years, this late life career choice has given me the most satisfaction out of anything I've ever tried to build a profession from. 

I really enjoy writing. I love the entire process of going from vague concept to finished manuscript—even when it gets frustrating. Being somewhat of an introvert who doesn't mind spending countless hours lost in her own thoughts, sitting at this desk every day with fingers on the keyboard and words flowing from mind to screen has brought me a lot of satisfaction and a great sense of accomplishment. I can't picture doing anything else to leave my mark on this world. I have a very understanding family who support my craft and cheer me on, and am at an age and stage in my life where quiet, creative work is preferable to being out there pressing the flesh and hawking my wares. I get up every morning looking forward to sitting back down here to pound on those keys once more. I'm not antisocial, because I'll talk about writing with my fellow authors or really anyone who has the time and patience to listen. This is my passion. This is what I was born to do. That's why I keep at it, because while it would be nice to say I'm making a lot of money, there are faster ways of doing that. This is about honing a craft. This is about creating something that will hopefully outlast me. It's about leaving a legacy of books and stories that will continue to entertain folks long after I'm one with the dust.

Even in a trying year like 2020 has been, I always had something positive to look forward to and feel confident about. I can't stress enough the importance of that. At a time in my life where my ability to get around well has become problematic and my eyesight is so-so, I needed something to focus on that can be done sitting down without having to travel outside my house to get to work, but also gave me the satisfaction of being creative. I write them, I send them off, and when they are accepted and published, I feel like a winner. It's a good time in my life for this too. I'm no longer responsible for other people on any regular basis, for we're an all-older adult household. My sons are men now with lives of their own. My mother passed last year and while I miss her, I am no longer part time caring for her so I have more time for me. My grandkids are growing up and all 3 are busy with school and their own activities. So while I stay in touch with them all and see them often, I'm home a lot with multiple hours to myself. And I'm okay with that. I like being who I am at this age. Being a writer who is now a published author with 19 books and 15 short stories in print (with more in the wings), has added a personal dimension to my life outside of wife, mother, grandmother and so on. This I do strictly for me. And it makes me smile.

I do it for the readers as well. I know you're out there, I can hear you breathing! Reviews don't come that often, but when they do I'm always glad to hear someone actually read what I wrote and took the time to say something about it. Feedback is so important! I have a small but loyal cadre of fans who do contact me to let me know if they enjoyed something and what they're looking forward to. Now and then I stumble across someone who just read something I wrote for the first time and made the effort to reach out to me and let me know. Thank you, I treasure each and every one of you. You give me the incentive to keep going. Hopefully I've given you something to escape with so that years like this one don't seem so scary and drear.

So 2021 will be more of the same for me. More writing, more books and stories to complete and find homes for. More projects, maybe a couple with deadlines. We'll see. But until they find my cold, still body hunched over the keyboard, I'll be banging those keys most days, and chatting about what I accomplished at other times. It's all about writing, because that's what I love to do.

Be well,
~NANCY

Wearing A Different Hat

As a writer, you learn over time to do more than one thing. If you write anything with a setting you've never been to or a historical backdrop, you learn to do your research. Nobody wants you to turn in unedited work, so you learn to edit. If you want your writing to be interesting, you improve your vocabulary. You have peers that you befriend and kibitz with that you can learn things from. You have to understand how and where to market your work. You might even dip a few toes into the publishing realm. Along the way, folks might invite you into review groups, convention panels, podcasts, or anthologies/novel series with multiple authors. So you add to and develop your skill set as you go along, increasing your circle of friends and business contacts while also hopefully growing a fan base. The more exposure you get, the easier it is for potential readers to find your material. So while you are trying to sell books, you're also marketing yourself as an author.

I am mindful of this with every post I make public online. While I am friendly and at times will express opinions, I keep in mind that I am also there to promote my books to all who are interested in reading them. So I tend to stay away from controversial topics and sweeping statements, though if asked I will certainly express my beliefs honestly and for the most part politely. I don't climb on too many soapboxes and I am careful what I say and to whom. I share some details of my life outside of writing, because not everyone is interested in just that and I think it's important to let other know that I'm not just a one-trick pony. I have friends and family online who just want to chat and catch up with whatever else I'm involved in. I'm mindful as well that I also represent the publishers who have allowed me to sell books through their business, and I am grateful for that opportunity. So I am careful of not only what I say, but what language I use when I say it. They don't need any negative publicity that something I spouted off about might bring them. Writing is my career that I have worked very hard at, and being published and read is a privilege. I have to handle myself in a professional way. I strive to do the best I can at being someone others are proud to know and work with.

Right now I am wearing my editor's cap. Over the holidays I am taking a short break from writing to carefully go over a very good friend's manuscript for an action/adventure thriller. To be asked to do this is a testament to being trusted with someone else's brainchild, and I take that honor very seriously. I don't do it often for others these days because I'm awfully busy writing and promoting my own work, but I take it very seriously when I do. Besides the usual copyedit stuff with grammar, spelling, typos, etc., I watch for redundancies, sentence structure and paragraph flow, awkward phrases and passages, and things I just can't decipher. Is the story complete and does it have a logical procession from opening to conclusion? Was there something in there that I know was wrong or that threw me out of the story? So it's a fine tooth comb readover with comments as well as editing. I don't charge for doing this so I can't do it for everyone or I'd have no time for my own writing. But this is a person I trust with my own manuscripts, someone I've worked with before and we know each other's style well. It's not easy to get a manuscript back and have it all marked up with changes and suggestions. So you need to have complete confidence that this person has your best interests at heart and that she or he knows what they're doing. This is another reason why I network with other writers. Nobody understands what we do like people already in the business.

When I'm done with this manuscript, it will get emailed back to the author with a cover message, and then he will go through it looking at the things I changed, suggested, or left notes about. It's up to him after that if he wants to make and keep those changes or not. I'm not the editor for his publisher so he can totally ignore what I did and just go on to the next stage. And yes, it will still be edited by the publishing house it was intended for. What he won't get there due to understandable time contraints is a lot of feedback, although all the conscientious publishers will send you a galley draft to have a final look at and make necessary changes before it gets published. Most likely once I am done with this manuscript, my writer hat will go back on for a while, until another project comes up. I can't give any details, but I happen to know that I and one other writer friend have a special project coming up at the turn of the year. We are going to collaborate on finishing up a partial manuscript by one of our peers who passed away earlier this year. So that will require reading, editing, and then ghostwriting the rest of the tale in the name of our deceased friend. Ghosting something unfinished is not easy, because you need to be able to decipher where the story was headed, and also pick up the style of the original author. It's an honor to be asked to do that, and so we both want to do a good job. It will take some time and attention to detail, and that's a whole different hat from creating your own fiction. Again, this is one of those things you get to do when you've been around the writing world long enough. While I'm working on that project I will also be writing my own stuff, likely on alternate days.

I enjoy what I do, and don't mind having all those hats to wear. Mixing up what I need to work on during the week keeps me from getting stale or bored with a project, and it helps in those times when the words just don't flow. That's what leads to the situation people call 'writer's block', where you need some time off from what you're working on to get past the frustration. Kind of like falling off one horse and getting back up on another one so that you don't lose your confidence in riding. This may not work for everyone, but it has for me, and I still manage to get things done in a timely fashion. A good part of that is the dedication I have to making writing, along with all the side projects that crop up, a regular part of my life. It takes some self-discipline and a willingness to shuffle things around so that the writing time is there. Fortunately for me at this age and stage of my life I am now an empty-nested in an all-adult household who doesn't work outside the home. Being partially disabled, I can't do a whole lot else. Sitting at my computer and typing is easier on my body so that's what I do. It gives me something to get out of bed for each day. Along the way, I've accumulated a bunch of hats as well. So I get to be someone different now and then.

Hope your writing or whatever it is you find joy in is going well, and that you've read something here that inspires. That's why I'm sharing my world with you, after all.

Be well,

~Nancy

Where Do The Words Come From?

There's a great Dave Mason song, called 'The Words' that really speaks to me as a writer. Very easy to find on Youtube in case you're curious and the link above gets cut off. The lyrics even mention John Steinbeck, who is one of my favorite mainstream authors and whose stuff I readily devoured as required reading back in High School English classes. But it is a puzzle sometime when you are writing, to figure out just how to phrase something so that it's clear enough to put the proper picture in the minds of readers. Other days it's about generating a unique idea for a new story that leads me to staring at a blinking cursor, wondering how to get anything on that page. When I find myself frustrated that I can't come up with a good opening for a project, I just type some random sentence that seems to lead in the direction I want to go and then let that drag me into typing another one. Before long that opening scene is done. I may revise it 5 more times, but the idea is to get the project underway in the first place.

A couple of writing friends and I were talking about that recently, discussing how we come up with certain characters or series of stories. It's kind of hard to explain the writing process in simple terms because everyone does it differently. For me, I am a visual thinker. I usually get a cinematic picture of some sort of scenario and then have to find the words to describe it. Occasionally I will have a vivid dream that sticks with me long after waking. Or some random scene from a TV show or movie strikes me as worthy of my own sort of retelling. I might hear a song or even a piece of instrumental music and the writer mind kicks in. Now and then it's a new line of dialogue from a well-established character in one of my books that just kind of pops into my head. I've built stories—and in fact entire novels—around small vignettes like that. For many tales, I have some aspect of the character's life and times that I want to get across. The seminal idea is often a tiny fleeting spark, but it's the craft of writing that makes it come to life. The writing itself takes a lot of hard work, perseverance, and self-discipline. You have to have a will to see a longterm project through and the interest and passion to stick with it on those days when nothing goes right, there are constant interruptions and distractions galore, you want to do something else instead of write, or the words just don't come easy.

Maybe I was just born to write, because the words seem to come easier for me than they do for others. I was first and foremost a reader, and so I have a love for books and stories that take me out of my world to places where I never imagined going before. I was a pretty decent writer all through school. Still it wasn't until I was well into my adult years, raising a family of my own and thinking of some later life career goals, that I started to think about writing. I have only a 12th grade education, and no college. We didn't have the time or the resources to send me back to school and there were so many hoops to jump through to get a degree I just didn't want to face all that. So I took a couple of correspondence courses in writing, and they helped me quite a bit with the basic knowledge I'd need. The rest was all up to me. That was prior to getting a home PC and well before email and the internet became a big part of life, so assignments were typed and mailed back and forth. Once we did have a computer and an internet hookup, an entire new world opened up for me. I eventually found other writers online and learned a lot more about the business from them.  I wrote my first book in those days, a ponderous manuscript of over 850 pages that that took me 2 years of pounding keyboards, and saving on various disks. That along with some short stories were all rejected by every place I sent them to. I'd take some time off to de-stress and lick my wounded ego, but I kept writing. It would be another ten years or so before I got published, by chopping up that big book and ramping up the action inside. Currently I have 19 books and 15 short stories in print with more in the wings waiting to be published and others in various stages of being finished. Not too shabby for an intense 10-1/2 years of work.

While I can write to someone else's idea and will give people who invite me in on projects what they want, normally I am not one of those writers who plots and plans everything out. I'm what we call in the business a 'pantser', as in I write by the seat of my pants. I sit in this chair and I type something, and that leads to more ideas to type. I might have a general idea of where I want a story to go and who should be involved, but the story just evolves as I work on it. That kind of open-ended process isn't practical for everyone, so if you're more comfortable with outlines or some sort of guide to what to do when, go for it! Don't let the experts sway you, there's no right or wrong way to write. Whatever keeps you motivated and gets the project done is fine. I'm not here to tell you how to do it. I'm just saying that if you want to do it, you have to stick to it. If you wait for the spirit to move you, you're not going to get much writing done. The words don't come out of thin air, there has to be a will to get something down on the page on a regular basis. Just like thinking about a garden doesn't plant it, or having a guitar doesn't teach you to play. You learn by actually writing, and that includes making mistakes and getting feedback, both positive and critical.

Scary isn't it, thinking about sharing your words with other people? Yet with writing anything that will be read by potential readers, that's the ultimate goal. I started writing knowing that I wanted to be published. You need to be sure that's what you want too, because you work will get critiqued at some point, either by editors at a publishing company or fans. Unless this is just a hobby you're pursuing for kicks, others have to see it and then you are going to get feedback. Now some folks are kind and they're going to tell you it's wonderful, and they may well mean that without really thinking hard about what you just shared. Others consider themselves literary critics and will pick every sentence apart just to be thorough. Some just won't get what you're writing at all and turn up their nose. As for who I share with, I find it's best to pick a group of peers in writing who at least have some interest in and knowledge of the kind of writing I'm doing. For instance, I write a lot of action/adventure fiction in the fast paced pulp style in numerous genres. While all writers appreciate a good tale well told, not everybody reads the kind of stuff I love to write. So if I shared this with folks who read and write romance fiction or highbrow literary stuff, they're not going to enjoy it as much and that often results in rather dismal observations. My closest peers all write stuff that is similarly categorized as mine. That way we can share and they will at least understand how the pacing and storytelling is supposed to be, and so they will listen attentively and give me criticism that is tailored for my style. I find they have the most helpful observations I've ever gotten, and they catch things I hadn't thought out well, but it's delivered with an understanding of what is needed for this type of writing as well as in a kind way. That makes me a better writer, and I can head off potential problems before they show up in print. At the very least, find a beta reader (someone who reads the manuscript before you submit it) that you trust, and reward that person for their time and efforts. I've been doing that for years now with fellow writer and sometimes collaborator Lee Houston Jr., and I go through his stuff in return. If he mentions something that bothers him, 9 times out of 10 I will alter it, because I figure other readers will feel the same way.

So that's where the words come from folks. There's no magic formula, you just have to sit down regularly and pound them out. The more you do it, the better at it you will become. If you have a will to write, you will make time for it somehow. If you want to be published, you have to learn to write well. 

Writing Onward,

~NANCY

The Writing Goes On...

That title is kind of how things turn out in this business. No matter how many manuscripts you finish, there's always something else to do. In past years I'd take a bit of a break between the prep week for Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, but I'm busy enough now that I really can't afford to do that. I'm working on more writing projects now than I've done in the past several years.

I had intended on writing an update last weekend, but over the past couple weeks I've gotten back two book galley proofs that had to be gone over. If you don't know what a galley is, that's the final stage before a book gets published, where it's laid out as it will appear in print. My job as author is to read through it and either make or authorize corrections that have been made by an editor. This is a courtesy to authors so that something doesn't get changed that shouldn't be altered, or so we can pick up on any mistakes (yes even editors make mistakes). 

The first galley I got back about mid-month was a pleasant surprise—one of the outstanding Companion Dragons Tales books from Pro Se, LAZLO AT HOME. I'll have more about what's in there on the CDT's blog, but it's basically a collection of adventure short stories featuring everyone's favorite little blue dragon adjusting to life with his witch companion in the magickal place where they live. My job was simply to read through the galley and make notes of what I might want changed. That got turned back in fairly quickly, these are half-size books (novellas at around 30,000 words) to keep them affordable and an accessible read for kids, though plenty of adults seem to enjoy them as well. They are a labor of love too.

This past weekend, I received an editing draft of my western for Wolfpack Publishing. I was asked to do a couple of things besides proofread the editing notes. There were far too many instances of the word 'so' in the manuscript that needed to be dealt with. Also the ending I had was rushed and not satisfactory because it didn't really resolve the main issue of the plot. Oops! This is what happens when you're hurrying to meet a deadline as well as concerned about word count. I was trying to make a good impression on a new publisher and do things in a timely manner, and I shot myself in the foot instead. So this one was on me. There were some positive comments as well, it wasn't all dismal. So I set aside all the other stuff I was working on and got right down to business on that galley, which took several days to go through. Most of the editing changes were fine, I only found one I disagreed with and that was a very minor issue. I got rid of a ton of instances of the word 'so' and had a good laugh at myself for how often that appeared in there. Again, minor rewriting was involved. Then... I had to write a new ending, one that sewed up (no pun intended) the plot holes I'd left. That took a few days. Fortunately I was able to add most of it to the original ending, by shuffling a few things around. It added some serious word count, but I was told to just get the story completed. I'm satisfied that I did, and hope the publisher feels the same way.

That is a part of writing too, where things aren't always as cut & dried as you think they are and you need to set aside your ego and dig back in. I hold no grudge against someone asking for a rewrite. I've done my share of editing over the years as well, rework comes with the business. Being published is a privilege that not every writer gets. Getting a book from concept to finished form is a major task for all involved, so we have to work as a team. I know how to write, but the folks on the publishing end know their market and how they as publishers need to present their offerings to potential readers. I try and handle myself as professionally as possible no matter who I am working with. This is a career for me, not just some hobby I indulge myself in. I'm doing all I can to satisfy those who read my stuff and those who put out the books and stories that I write. But I will say, I sure was glad to get that one back to them so I could continue with other writing projects I have going.

Since the last time I posted here, I have turned in both the Monster Earth short story as well as the 7th Jezebel Johnston novel, subtitled MASTIFF. Those were two important projects I was pushing out over the last few weeks. Monster Earth had a firm deadline, but I also wanted to get that pirate novel in before November for a change. There's a lot of research with the latter because it's historical fiction, and so the average JJ adventure takes about 9 months to write. Monster Earth stories are being collected before being read because there could be continuity issues that must be dealt with. This book concept involves an ongoing scenario over a short period of time and stories are being written by multiple authors. Contradictions can happen, so there could be some rewriting ahead. Plus people write at different paces. So no feedback yet. I have heard from Airship 27 head honcho Ron Fortier that he is enjoying my latest pirate yarn, so I think we're good there. Now I have turned my attention back to other writing projects that have been waiting in the wings.

I went over the second Chandra Smoake paranormal investigator tale. Other than some minor tweaks, as far as I am concerned, that's complete and ready to go out once Occult Detective Magazine is looking for more submissions. It's saved and in a file, waiting. Right now I am toggling back and forth between that Vagabond Bards novel I started last year after my mother passed, and the 3rd Sinbad adventure I am writing for AS 27, which I began a year ago in mid-September. Yeah, things do get shuffled aside when they don't have a real deadline. But recently I've been making good progress on both. I'd like to have them finished by the end of this year if possible. I'm not sure what I'm doing with the Vagabond Bards novel because Pro Se still hasn't released the last one I wrote, and this one is rather large for their usual fare and still growing. I'll worry about that when I get it finished, I'm working on the big climatic scenario now. Sinbad will at least be a novella and it's possible it could become a novel. I'll see how that pans out as I go along. Providing nothing else pressing comes up, I should be able to knock these two out. I tend to toggle 2-3 days on one before switching to the other. That keeps me fresh, and I don't forget the storyline arc in that short a time.

You know, the turn of the year is not that far off. I'm already thinking about the next pirate novel, a third Silver Pentacle book, and whatever else I might get invited into. Some of my older series in the Terran World fantasy realm have been begging for sequels as well. No, I don't get tired of thinking about stories I want to write, I get frustrated that I can't get them written any quicker than I have. I'm far from the world's fastest writer and there are those who can turn out far more work in a year than I do. But I try and write good stories that I'd love to read, and so far I haven't lost my joy in the craft. Between my ongoing battle with mobility issues and this viral pandemic which is just not going away anytime soon, some days can be hard to handle. Yesterday we had our first snow of the season, reminding me that the days of slippery walking and biting cold are just around the corner. All that stuff can get to you. Writing gives me a reason to get up in the morning and something creative to look forward to that I can accomplish sitting down, without leaving home. Through my daily online contacts with peers in the business and the occasional fan, I don't feel like I'm sequestered in some remote location with no one to talk to. And my poor family doesn't have to listen to me natter on about things that frankly, they just don't understand. This is more than an art or a business, it's a lifestyle for us who dream of strange things and make them appear in words on a page. I love being able to share my passion for the written word with others, because reading was my escape for most of my childhood, which was often a very lonely time. Back then I read books that took me out of my world to times and places I'd never dreamed of. I'm still very much a reader today. But now I can create those tales so others can read them too. What a magical thing that is!

The magical quality of books to transport you elsewhere is good way to end this on Halloween. May that magic always be there to take you to places you never dreamed of...

 

~NANCY

Some Updates...

I'm making a better effort now to keep up with this blog. Sunday has now become my blogging day. For now I am bouncing back and forth between this, my writing blog, and the hobby and craft blog I started years ago. Both are being updated regularly by me, and the hobby blog also by fellow writer and all around good guy, Lee Houston Jr. Oh and Lee has a couple blogs of his own as well, this one on current events and he also has a writing blog.

So, what is going on for me in writing this week? So glad you asked!

First of all, I found the above interior illustration in an email from Airship 27's head honcho Ron Fortier a couple days ago. This is one of possibly nine intended for the first Silver Pentacle book, drawn by the talented Mr. Guy Davis. It features (from left to right) characters Aleta Kalama, Jordyn Orion, and Zephirine Merriwether. Now I have been wanting to collect these loooong short stories into novel format for a while, and was going to self-publish it when Ron asked me to see what I had. He took a good look, and begged to have it. There are two books with two tales each in his hands at present, but I plan on putting together a third one this coming year.

The Silver Pentacle series is kind of hard to shoehorn into any single genre category. While it is technically a fantasy, it has elements of superhero fiction and steampunk in a post apocalyptic setting where The Rapture has come and gone. Staggered rifts in time and space have allowed bits and pieces of the distant past or other dimensions to sift through. Earth itself is radiation contaminated and mostly in ruins, a mechanoid war continues in certain areas, and the survivors that are left behind are eking out a living as best they can. There are still well-off plotters using what's left of science and technology to try to build empires for themselves, and those people are willing to risk precious lives to wipe out the opposition. The older deities of the pre-Christian world are back now too, trying to gather converts as are various demons; and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse are building their armies to scour away what is left of humanity. In the midst of this a celestial wanderer from a family of benevolent demigods who have always taken a liking to humankind decides to come have a look around, and see if whoever is left is worth saving. When he finds the first of the four elemental superheroes, Jordyn Orion knows he is needed here. If this exceptionally gifted and powerful quartet fall into the wrong hands, they can be used as weapons, and humanity will be destroyed forever.

Honestly, that just scratches the surface of what's going on in this series. It's the most ambitious writing I've ever done, and even I'm not certain exactly where it's headed. But it sure has been a challenge, as well as a lot of fun. The first two books have two stories each, and introuduce Jordyn Orion as well as 3 of the 4 elemental heroes: Aleta Kalama who manipulates fire, Zephirine Merriwether who controls all things air and wind, and Roan Finnman, the half-selkie water elemental. They all have their share of adventures, alone and as a team. I have a bare start on the third book, which now needs a bridging section before I can bring in the 4th elemental superbeing, Silas Nakai, who can emulate all living things past or present that are found on Earth. Each one of the team needs to learn to come to terms with their respective pasts as well as harness their current abilities for the vital purpose they can serve in saving their world and those who are left in it. The pentacle issue comes in because as they learn to use their enhanced skills for the greater good, each of our heroes is 'adopted' by a minor deity and given a silver amulet with a pentacle center holding a symbol of their respective talent. And that's enough spoilers for now. There is so much else involved in this series, it's hard to believe all that stuff came out of my head. You folks keep reading them, and I'll keep writing them, and that will keep everyone involved busy and out of trouble. 😉👍

Now as far as what else I have going on...

I have not gotten back to the pirate novel yet, because I have been concentrating on Monster Earth, which has a hard deadline. A couple days ago, I finished that story in rough draft. It's quite a bit too long, and will need a serious second pass to rein it in, but it is essentially done. I plan on starting to go over that tomorrow. Should only take a couple days to excise what isn't needed and smooth the rest out. When I'm satisfied that I have it in the best shape I'm going to be able to make it, I'll send it in to the folks at Mechanoid Press. I figure by the end of next week tops. Then it's back to JJ #7, which needs its second pass as well as a title. Right now I believe Airship 27 should have that by the end of the month. It takes longer to proof a novel than a short piece, but I will give them both the utmost care.

Gee what am I working on after that?

I've got a lot of projects that need attention. I mentioned quite a few of them in the last post. There is the Vagabond Bard novel I need to finish, which doesn't exactly have a home right now. I have a Sinbad started for Airship 27, and another, somewhat long Chandra Smoake paranormal investigator tale that can go to Occult Detective Magazine at some point. And of course as the year ends, i need to get cracking on the 8th Jezebel Johnston pirate novel as well as that third Silver Pentacle. And the big end of year holidays are ahead, which also includes granddaughter Terralyn's 6th birthday. How time flies.

I have to say, 2020 has not been a particularly easy year for the world, but I've kept busy and it has still flown by. Remember that I am an empty-nester in an all older adult household, so my time is my own. Writing is what I do, and that's very much a solitary profession. I'm used to being a hermit of sorts, spending lots of time alone with my thoughts. So much of my year was business as usual. My ongoing struggle with arthritis has made trips out by necessity only, though I do see my family regularly. I'll tell you, I am thankful to have something like writing to concentrate on, because virus or no, my level of disability is not going away. I might in time qualify for some joint replacement or other surgeries, but for now I have to live with the discomfort. Having something else positive to focus on besides that keeps me going most days. As long as there is a reader out there waiting for a book of mine, I'll keep writing them.

I think that's true for most of us authors down here in the shallower end of the publishing fishpond. You folks let the publishers know what you want to see and by whom, and they'll make sure to get our stuff out when they have it. Honestly, even a 2 word review (F'ex: Enjoyed It!) is a big morale booster on those days when nothing seems to go right and you wonder why you even bother. I'm far from the only writer, or illustrator for that matter, who feels that way. Give us some love, give us some feedback, let us know you see our stuff and what you thought of it. We can't come knocking on your door to solicit comments, but our doors are always open to fans. The days when something good is said make the all tough ones getting to where a project is finished, so worthwhile. Don't just do it for me, do it for all of us who labor away trying to bring you interesting fiction that isn't cookie-cutter copies of whatever the mainstream thinks is in vogue. We offer the alternative—the books you can't find anymore. Tales that you can curl up with and let the world go away for a while. Heroes and villains who make sense. Action and adventures that will take you places you never dreamed of. Pure entertainment. Isn't that what reading should be about?

It sure is to me.

Writing On,

~NANCY

Writing News From My Desk...

Wow, doesn't that sound all official? Seriously though, my desk is where the writing gets done. In this case that desk is simply a used drafting board that was left behind in my previous home, screwed to an old iron Singer treadle sewing machine base that belonged to my dad's mother and was in our household as long as I can recall. The treadle and the top of the sewing machine cabinet are both gone, so no drawers or cubbies for storage. The scarred up flat surface of the drafting board is just big enough to hold my PC tower on the left, a 24 inch monitor in the back with two speakers tucked behind it, a light up mouse, mousepad, and wrist rests to the right, and my light up keyboard dead center in front. All that lighted stuff means I can type at night without the overhead room fixture on (too much glare on the monitor) or a desk lamp (no room). Now between that keyboard and monitor there's an assortment of scratch paper on a tiny clipboard for scribbling my daily totals, and tucked here and there are holders for pens, letter openers, scissors, and other odds and ends. I keep a small flashlight and my reading glasses handy too. The ammo can with the dark chocolate along with stuff like tissues, my insulated glass of icewater, and flash drives for saving work are all within reach nearby. My chest of drawers holds a small all-in-one printer. I've got several removable stick-on hooks on my PC tower to hold things like my headset, a bamboo back scratcher, and my phone charging cable. Yeah it's often a messy desk, and this little home office spot is actually in my bedroom, which is small and cramped. I don't mind the shared space; this is my preferred spot for writing and researching because it's private, and when I sit down here to work, the world goes away while I get something accomplished.

So there's nothing special about my writing environment other than I keep  what's handy nearby and persist in plugging away. The ability to get things done depends on a workmanlike attitude and perseverance. I've written in a lot of different situations over the years, but the important thing is not the aesthetics, but what actually gets done. Although I will vote for a comfortable office chair, because you're going to be sitting a lot.

But this post isn't as much about where I write as what I've been working on lately. And there's been plenty going on...

Finishing the western novel and having turned that in back in mid-July gave me some breathing room. I really did sweat bullets (haha, western pun) over getting that book done by the due date of August 1st, and managed to beat that by a couple of weeks. Big sigh of relief there. It's not easy writing outside your comfort zone in a genre you're fairly new to. You'd think that after having 19 books in print and at least 15 short stories (with more to come in each category) I'd be past those heebie-jeebies. Uh, nope! Every project is a new adventure, and when I get invited in to play in someone else's sandbox, I want to make a good impression. So I was incredibly relieved that the story I wrote went over so well. Stay humble in this business, you'll last longer.

After the western was done I went back to working on other projects I had started earlier. I have a Vagabond Bards novel I've been picking away at since a year ago in April that is still not finished, and the 7th Jezebel Johnston pirate novel that I'd started back in January. Since I have broken into a UK periodical (Occult Detective Magazine #7 ) market with a paranomal investigator tale that was well received and it was suggested another Chandra Smoake tale might be welcome, I was also picking away at that. And I wanted to do another Sinbad story for Airship 27. So all those were on the table when Mechanoid Press put out the call for writers for the 3rd and final Monster Earth anthology.

Oh, I wanted to do one of those again! Who doesn't like envisioning a world where big stomping kaiju-type monsters are the basis of the cold war instead of nukes? I loved those Japanese monster movies as a kid. The series creators from Mechanoid Press have a definite outline for 6 stories. One of my monsters from the first book was included in there, so I threw my hat in the ring, wrote a proposal for that particular tale, and got myself involved. They're looking for about 10,000 words, which is for me a piece of cake. Because the deadline is the 31st of October, I had to drop everything but the pirate novel to get that story told. There was research involved for boning up on the unique locale, but I'm about at the 8,000 word point so in a good place. Might have to trim my beginning some, but no big deal there. I'm knee deep in monster battles at the moment.

Ah, but this past week saw me finish the rough draft of the 7th Jezebel Johnston pirate novel. Again, that is a wonderful feeling, to have put nearly 10 months into a book and have it at least complete in some form. It doesn't have a title yet, nor does it end where I expected it to, but the ending is logical and leaves a bit of a cliffhanger to begin #8 with. Sometimes you just can't get to everything you expected to cover into one book. The important thing here is to have a story that is well told, and to have satisfied the greater part of what you started out to have the main character(s) accomplish. I did all that. And this one will be getting a second pass, straight through reading and editing, before I decide it's good enough to turn in. If you write long enough, you learn to be flexible with what you want to convey. It's easier with series work, where you can pick up the thread of an event that didn't get resolved in the next book. I'm far from done with adventures for my buccaneer maid and her surviving companions. Plenty more books filled with adventure, romance, and mayhem ahead.

You know, there is no feeling like finishing a long-term creative project. I never get tired of that. It seems like a minor miracle each time I write THE END after the last paragraph. I was all alone the other day when I decided the pirate book was done, but I raised fists in the air and had another one of those 'Rocky Balboa at the top of the stairs' self-satisfied moments. Not so much because this particular book was so hard to write—hell, they're all hard to write. If writing was easy, anybody could be a published author. But because this year has been a tough one, both outside my little isolated part of the world as well as in a more personal way for me, it felt like a great triumph. Any time you work on something long-term with so much else going on in the background, and yet you still manage to finish it, that's a accomplishment to feel proud about. There's nobody here forcing me to write at gunpoint; I do it because I love the craft, and because I still have stories to tell.

I know a lot of folks are still reeling from the dire statistics and daily news reports about the pandemic, the natural disasters, and episodes of blatant racism and civil unrest that have erupted around us. You better believe that all troubles me too, both as an individual and a citizen. I have kids and grandkids that I dearly love and want a better world for. But for the most part, those are things which are out of my control on a national or worldwide basis. So I do what I can from my place in society, and I watch, read, and listen in order to learn more. I try to react in what I hope is a sensible and helpful or supportive manner on a more local level, and you can be assured that I will vote with those issues firmly in mind.

On a more personal basis this year, I've struggled harder with ongoing chronic pain from arthritis. It's reached the point where my sleep is often interrupted. Some days I need help getting on my feet or navigating safely through my own home or outdoors to the car (no, I'm not driving). I have family assistance with cooking or housework that I can no longer do. I walk with a cane all the time now, and by walking I mean a slow hobbling pace. Having to shower or do any kind of personal care or chores that involve standing or working in potentially slippery conditions has become treacherous and nerve-wracking for me. We are trying to set things up to make it easier, but this is an old house, and remodeling is expensive when every time you touch something there is just so much else that has to be tackled along with it. I'm not ready for a wheelchair at this point because I want to keep using those leg muscles, and the house isn't really set up for that anyway. I really don't want to switch to a walker at 63. I'm daily taking all the pain medication I can have without danger of overdose or addiction, and as far as any medical intervention we have gone as far as our current insurance will pay for without putting us deeply in debt. Some of the things I'm facing just have to be lived with for now. I have invested in items that help me dress, use the facilities, and reach for things—anything that will help me keep my independence and manage what I can no longer do on my own. Fortunately I can nap if I need to, or sleep in on mornings when the night didn't afford me enough rest. It's not pleasant, but I'm managing and stubbornly going on with my life.

Yet the writing has gone on regardless, because I really need that one big part of my day to look forward to. This is something positive I can accomplish even sitting in a chair. It gets my mind off the other stuff, and takes me somewhere outside the troubled world we live in. Not only do I turn out my share of fiction, but since June of 2013 I've been writing a monthly column for my town's newsletter. It's popular enough that I've been told they've increased circulation and been able to draw more ads to help pay for publication. It's my little volunteer project for the community, and I try to be as entertaining and upbeat as I can manage while touching on some of the topics that have us all concerned. I guess you could call it a busman's holiday, but I really don't mind doing it. Writing is second nature to me, and it's good to get up every morning knowing there's at least one thing I can accomplish for the day that won't have me struggling to force my now aching body to do. Whether it's 100 words or 1,000, I know I gave it my best. You'd be surprised how much that adds up over time.

It sounds like I write all day long, but I actually average 4-6 hours in the afternoon. Most of my evenings are free for TV, crafts, or just chatting with family and other folks. I regularly take one afternoon a week off to see my kids and grandkids. I do belong to a small, private online writer's group where we meet virtually once a week and read a section of something we've been working on. We also talk writing, sharing tips and potential business contacts as well as our triumphs and speedbumps. I'm very grateful to have been asked to join the group, and due to our much loved leader's health issues I've been hosting it for a while. But we all look forward to it every week. Nobody understands a writer like another writer, and we've all become better at our craft for the camaraderie and helpful and polite critiques. Those are sessions I treasure, and those folks are my clan.

So that's what's been going on at my desk lately. A shuffle of projects and always something to do. I hope you're also doing things that make you feel good about yourself. Life can throw a lot of wild curve balls all at once, so that you feel more like ducking and running for cover than standing there swinging away. Having something to do or somewhere to go that makes you forget the nastiness and smile for a while sure does improve the mood when things get frustrating. Anything that gives you a sense of accomplishment can make a difference in how you handle all that stress once you get back to the world as it is.

Always writing on,
~Nancy