So when is the next book coming out? Good question.
I’m working on a trilogy, so I want to know (need to know) where the characters end up to make sure I point them in the right direction in the earlier books. That means all three books need to be drafted before I can start with the edits on the first one. That’s the downside. The upside is that once we get going, the books should come out in quicker succession. It takes me around eighteen months to put a book together.
The new series, Encounters, is all first person, and that has been more fun than I anticipated. First person limits you to only one head, but it lets you get deep inside that character. Book 1’s narrator is Donna Shannon. Three years ago when I first tested the story as first person, her voice was so strong, there was no way I could take the book away from her and write as third person.
Here’s a little taste…
I think Phil and I both knew from the beginning we’d end up married. He’s six months younger than I am, to the day, August eighteenth to February eighteenth, and they tell me from the day he showed up in the church nursery, I couldn’t leave him alone. Apparently, I believed in “courting by pestering.”
It was probably a good thing. Phil’s quiet and shy, and I can’t imagine him being forward enough to pursue a girl. With me, he never had to. I was always there. We went all through school together, had all the same teachers until we got to high school and they started pulling the smarter kids out. If Phil was anything, he was smart. And cute. Red hair and freckles and grin that would just melt you. In our first grade picture he was grinning that grin, but missing his two front teeth. If you look close, you can see he was holding my hand.
When I was six and he was still five, he pulled me around behind the piano in the church sanctuary of all places, and he kissed me. He said, “I’m gonna marry you one day, Donna Sue Grant. That’s a promise.” That cinched it.
See what I mean?
I’m finishing up the draft of Book Two. (Book Three is done. I didn’t like the ending for Book Two, so it’s getting a rework.) Once that’s done, I’ll get to work on Book One, Touched.
In other news-
If you saw this on Facebook, forgive me for repeating. Resolute was recognized with a LYRA award for best inspirational fiction. You can read the press release.
My oldest graduates next month which means we have been busy with college things and senior things, but it also means summer. This summer, I have some projects I’m hoping to work on in addition to book editing. I’ll let you know if that actually happens.
Reading List-
Recently finished – Praying Backwards by Brian Chappell
Currently – The Tale of Despereaux by Kate Di Camillo
Coming soon – Voice of a Prophet by A.W Tozer and Life of the Beloved by Henri Nouwen.
So what’s new with you?
Each day I am humbled by the response to Contingency & Indemnity, especially the emotional connection readers have with the characters and their struggles with the God they cling to. This week we contracted to produce three more books. This is a scary prospect. What if the first ones were a fluke? What if these aren't as good? What if they don't engage readers? What if they aren't as deep, or though-provoking or genuine? (You see, being a writer is a lot like mental illness…)
