Pandemic Project - Proof Copy is on its Way

Like many people in 2020, I spent most of my time at home.

Unlike many people of 2020, I spent most of that time in one room because my bedroom and my office share a single space.

But even on weekends, I remained in that room because my hobby is writing fiction. In my case, the truth is, perhaps, stranger than fiction.

A couple years ago, I had an idea for a new BryonySeries trilogy called Limbo. I wanted to explore the movement and growth among the people in a place where progress, for the most part, just stops - with the overarching theme of rebirth.

So I outlined the series and then, when I used the rest of my vacation time in December 2019, I outlined the first book, confident I could write all of the first draft 2020 (which I did).

The first book in the series, called The Phoenix, explores that theme in two parallel stories in a late nineteenth century fishing village.

One story (the odd chapters) is about a twelve-year-old girl who is stuck inside one room at Munsonville Inn with her parents. The family lives "on the move" (supported by the mother's money) as the father chases one story after another, hoping to break into journalism into a big way. 

He's mostly hindered by a recurring illness that winds up making him deathly ill. And his wife, while his biggest supporter, is his biggest enabler. Their daughter has learned to mentally grow up fast. She's (mostly) a detached, unsmiling observor to the entire situation.

The second story (the even chapters) is about two newly turned vampires who are trying to figure out their new non-life from the confines of a mansion in the same village. They initually dine in the villagers (who are already reeling from the loss of life from a previous tragedy), and those villagers attribute these new deaths to a mysterious illness. So, for their protection, people are told to stay home.

Of course, they continue to die. Until, early on in the book, the vampires are ordered to find food elsewhere.

Yes, I had chosen to write a quarantine-type of story in what turned out to be a quarantine type of year. 

So while I spent my work time writing COVID stories, I spent my down time writing about illness and sheltering in place. The irony struck me one day as I was working on the novel.

But I did finish it before the holidays and sent it to my editor. I've incorporated (most) of her suggestions.

Topher Gleason created the cover art last year and Rebekah created the cover and learned a new skill to do something a little different with the formatting.

And now, the proof copy is on its way and should be here by Monday.

Where There's Smoke, There's Fire?

 I don't know if it's journalistic instinct or the fact my in-laws had a scanner in their house and chased fires, but I'm pretty quick to act if I see something off.

That "off" this morning was thick black smoke in the distance when I paused at my bedroom window to admire the sunrise.

So I put my oversized slip-ons over my broken toe, slid my coat on over my flannels, grabbed a mask and press pass, and headed out into the tall snow. I got as far as I could get on foot, took some photos just in case, and then plodded back to the house.

Did you know how cold ankles can get without socks in this weather? Brrr....just saying.

By now, one of my sons (Timothy) were awake, so we drove in the direction of a nearby hospital. Lots of smoke, which was already diminishing. Furnaces, perhaps?

At any rate, Timothy turned to me and said, "Coffee?"

To which I replied, "I have coffee at my computer."

But he wanted to treat everybody. So I texted Daniel not to leave for work yet as Timothy had coffee for him (Daniel leaves early to stop for coffee).

And we brought back tea for Rebekah.

So I'm a little behind this morning, but I got outside (my first baby walk since we had all this snow), spent a little quality time with one of my sons, and wound up with a nice Americano to boot (well, no boots, Slip-ons).

Mostly, I was glad to know buildings and people were safe.

Nothing was reduced to ashes on a day people are observing Ash Wednesday.

Stay warm, stay safe, be blessed.

Taking a Break from the Coronavirus

COVID-19 has been on my mind a lot this past week especially.

Not only am I one of those borderline high risk people (almost sixty, I have asthma, and my insurance just refused to pay for my medicine - but no worries, I paid full price and will continue to take it), I work for a daily publication where updating the community about the pandemic feel near-constant.

Top that with some family emergencies, and it's been an interesting two weeks.

So Saturday, I stopped most of life and "hunkered down" with one of the two novels I've been first drafting and found I'd made some real genuine process.

Last weekend, I'd experienced a slight return of the muse, but not until I re-read last week's work (apparently manuscript distancing slows the spread of the infection "author self-doubt") did I fully realize the progress I'd made.

Part of that is due to a new method of approaching this particular novel (The Phoenix, the first in the Limbo trilogy, yes, part of the BryonySeries).

For my first novel (Bryony), I wrote scenes as they came to me and used them to help structure the novel. It was fun seeing them come together, too. I call this the "Golden Spike" approach.

For the rest of my novels, I used outlines for the book and each chapter. In most cases, I had the first and last sentences of the books and chapters written before I "painted by number with words," working in order of each chapter in a linear progression.

Neither approach was working with The Phoenix.

Over Christmas break, I did outline the novel and each chapter. 

I do have the first and last sentences written.

But I remained disconnected with the characters and overall story line. I started, and then abandoned, character questionnaires because they weren't helping.

So last weekend, I reread through everything and added a little to each chapter. That helped.

I didn't know how much it helped until I re-read everything this past weekend.

So this weekend, I did the same. I added to each chapter in both linear and non-linear ways.

I call this "macro to micro writing."

And I will continue in this fashion until this half of the novel is done.

Not sure if that will work with the other half (the novel is two parallel story lines).

But I will cross that time zone when I reach it.

BryonySeries Throwback Thursday: And the Cavalry Showed Up

Sunday, January 19, 2014

And the Cavalry Showed Up

For readers following my posts the last few months, you know the interesting challenges I've battled. Recently, the newspaper that accepts most of my freelance features articles was sold, and I prepared to say "good-bye" to a satisfying portion of my career.

I was hasty.

The new company hired me as the features editor for The Herald-News. I've been told about eighty percent of my job will focus on what I've already been doing, albeit no longer from an attic office with a cat sitting behind mind me (along with one sitting on my lap, another perched on my tower, and a fourth resting on top of my printer.

The other twenty percent involves learning new equipment and software (Remember, I need directions to operate a can opener) and negotiating what it means to be a salaried employee with an assistant (other than a minor child) that reports to me.

While the "congratulations" from family, friends, co-workers, and fans is much appreciated, I'm honestly feeling more stretched than exhilarated, at least right now, as I struggle to learn much unfamiliar material in a short period of time, so I can quickly regain efficiency.

However, I'd be lying if I didn't say I'm very excited about this new trail of the journey. I love my job, and I'm thrilled that I can continue the old ways while expanding on them by learning new methods to get the task done while acquiring new skills.

Becoming an employee happened at the ideal time. I graduated from my homeschool teacher status in November when my youngest turned eighteen and earned his G.E.D.

Each of my children simultaneously began new adventures in their lives, too. Truly gives new meaning to the phrase "no child left behind."

Apparently, that must mean moms, too.

'Night.

Illustration by Christopher Gleason for "Staked!" Follow him at artworkbytopher.com.

Submitting Bryony

Although I had been a journalism major and had freelanced a dozen years for a newspaper, I had scant knowledge of the book industry. I thought authors simply packaged their manuscripts, sent them to publishing houses, and waited for the ensuing rejection or acceptance.

To my credit, before I sent that first query, I researched the submission process, including how to properly format a manuscript. Being technologically impaired, I only knew how to do certain things by hand. It took an entire weekend to change my single-spaced manuscript into a double-spaced one and to manually set each page break.

Feeling like a guppy out to sea, I bravely sent my first Bryony query and, four weeks later, happily accepted my first rejection. I had officially joined the ranks of other hopeful authors. I was on my way.

After two months and several more queries passed I decided I wasn't doing too badly. I had two more agent rejections, one agent request for a full manuscript, and small press request for a partial. Both happened near my birthday, so that was pretty cool, at least until my manuscript returned, rejected, from the agent. The small press remained quiet, so I researched some more and sent out a another batch of queries, which I promptly regretted.

Why did I regret it? There was something about the process that seemed inconsistent with my goals. I only wanted to share an entertaining story with others who wanted to read it, and I wanted to encourage other people's writing efforts. I wasn't against marketing my work, but I wasn't trying to break into high-profile, commercial fiction, either.

I also wanted Kathleen R. Van Pelt's illustrations, but that's another post.

Self-publishing seemed the preferable alternative, but I hesitated for two reasons: I couldn't afford it, and I feared unprofessional editing. Then, I interviewed an author who used WriteLife LLC.