Greetings from the quiet side. I've been a bad blogger, Facebooker, Tweeter, what have you lately - and mostly that's been on purpose. Spring and summer are busy outdoor seasons on the farm. Plus, I've decided to pull back a little on the social media front and spend my computer time writing. I had a spinal adjustment yesterday that was, in my chiropractor's words "bad," and I'm really feeling it today. Yikes. Ouch. All the more reason for me to limit my chair time as much as possible.
I've received a lot of the same sorts of questions lately in emails and messages, and in the comments sections of posts, and I'm happy to respond to each one, but it makes me think there are a lot of you out there wondering some of the same things. So I thought I'd check in and do a quick FAQ. I thought it'd be nice for the people who are like me and never ask, but just wonder silently. :-)
When will Tastes Like Candy be available for purchase?
I'm working on the end of it now - not much father to go! So it should be on sale mid- to late May.
When will Loverboy be available for purchase?
Oh, Loverboy. It's currently on hold while I finish up TLC, and then I'm anticipating at least a month of hard writing before it's ready for edits. So July, I'm thinking.
Will there be a Ghost and Maggie book?
I get this one A LOT. I have (what I think) is a fun, cute, and unexpected storyline mapped out for them. One of those gut-reaction things I didn't think I'd want to do, but now can't stop thinking about. I'm working on some side projects at the moment, so the answer is: maybe. We'll see how things are going after LB and then I'll decide whether or not to pull the trigger. I would like to. But please be warned that a book about them will have duel timelines: a present day story, and a flashback story about how they met and became the king and queen that they are now. Complete with little kid Aidan, Ghost's wildly terribly parenting, and Maggie's jailbait antics. So. Just be ready for that. It won't be the "mature" book I've been asked to write.
Fox??
Everybody loves Fox. I love Fox! He's one of my book babies, after all. And one of the few characters I have "cast" in my head with a real actor. I'll be candid - the first time Walsh stepped into the scene, back in Keeping Bad Company, sitting watch in front of a strip club in London, I already knew I wanted to write an entire book for him. It was love at first concept. But Fox? That was a slippery, tricky thing, and I knew that I was going to love having him as part of the equation, but I never intended to write a book for him. SO MANY people have asked about a book for Fox. And I'm really touched. But I'm also really conflicted, because I can't just "make" a story happen. It has to come to me organically; I have to believe in it, become invested in it. So I'm not saying "yes," but I'm not saying "no." I would love to "find" a Fox book along the way somewhere. But I can't force it to happen - it would suck and you all would hate it if I strong-armed the man into a love story. He's still revealing himself to me in fits and snatches, and I have to patiently wait until I know him, completely. Fiction-writing, for me, is not a simple matter of fantasy fulfillment. I'm a cynic, and decidedly not romantic, so it has to feel raw and real for me. So I hope we can get there, but I'm not willing to put it on the roster and hold myself to the task just yet.
Who do you envision as (insert character name)?
There are a few characters who I "see," and a few who you guys have quite wonderfully cast. But for the most part I don't like to push my vision off on the audience, because normally I see the character first, and have to go back and cast later. And my casting is admittedly biased - I like to envision actors or actresses I think are talented and interesting. I like for you guys to be able to use your imaginations, see someone you find interesting and attractive. I have a Dartmoor board on Pinterest where you can find landscape and misc. inspiration pics.
That's all for now! I will add more as they come at me. Right now, I'm going to get out of this chair and rest my back a little.
Happy Tuesday.
That's all for now! I will add more as they come at me. Right now, I'm going to get out of this chair and rest my back a little.
Happy Tuesday.
I think your 'ideas' for Ghost and Maggie are perfect, I can't imagine a book any other way. Mindy Downey
ReplyDeleteI couldn't agree more! Setting goals and meeting deadlines are certain things, but if there isn't a story to tell... if the character is a greater background asset well then, so be it... this is your universe... Gilley-verse? Lauren Land? we are all merely visitors. Notice that I didn't limit your world to Dartmoor... you have so much more to give us... so many untold stories... I've relished those that came before and I'll greet all future adventures with delight....
ReplyDeleteAs for your back... don't let yourself be defeated by your own body... I speak from experience of a different sort... adapt &/or compensate (shorter writing bursts? frequent breaks? change of writing locale/position? yoga?) ... at least until you invent some sort of thing that would allow you to speak your visions aloud and have them transferred to written word w/out the need for hours of desk chair time ? On second thought, I believe that may already exist, KJ's doctor has something akin to that and he has a rather hard time of it, always having to yell at the thing... and we all know the serious horror of voice to text... "watt eh cirrhosis hoarder that mite turn out two bee" LOL!
Long story short, while I understand the need to promote and get the product out there and be visible... to quote Billy Joel, 'I know the game, they'll forget my name, I won't be here in another year, if I don't stay on the charts'.... but long-term mental and physical well-being is worth more than short-term gains begotten through agony & chaos... we true fans will stick around & passports at the ready, frequent flyer miles adding up for our trips to your world!
XOXOXO!!
Suz