The Best of Times and the Worst of Times

Q. Why are you writing about A Tale of Two Cities?
A. I’m not.

Q. Hmm.  What’s with the title reference?

A. It struck me as an apt description for the current state of both my projects.

 

Q. That brings up several questions, but first, why is this in interview form?

A. I started to write a post the “normal” way and found myself beginning a sentence with “If someone asked me…” Then of course someone had to ask me the question.

 

Q. That makes total sense.  How do your projects relate to the best and worst times?

A. It’s the best of times because with these two books, I’m at my first and second favorite steps in the writing process.

 

Q. Wait.  What is your favorite step in writing a book?

A. It’s writing the last sentence of the first draft.  There’s an amazing sense of accomplishment when those words hit the paper.  It’s the good kind of pride, the feeling that I just did something hard.  I committed to months of work and got it done.

 

Q. Are you talking about the Wisherton book you mentioned last month?

A. Yes.  I’m typing up the rough draft right now.  Well, not right this minute because I’m working on this interview.  But essentially right now.

 

Q. You have another project at your second favorite step?

A. Yes.

 

Q. And that is?

A. The step or the project?

 

Q. Both.

A. I think I’ve landed on an idea for my next romance book.  The very beginning is a fun step in the process.  I’m spending time in fantasy land and letting myself get excited about new stories and new characters, just in case it might be a series.

 

Q. That all sounds fun.  Why is it also the worst of times?

A. I admit that’s a melodramatic take.  I know from experience that my two favorite parts are also some of the shortest parts.  I only get to enjoy that finished draft for as many days as it takes me to type it.  Then I have to start looking for ways to improve it, sometimes even admitting that part of my hard work isn’t very good.  There will be changes and additions or deletions.  Basically, my sense of accomplishment is bashed around by reminders that I’ve only actually completed one step.

 

Q. I guess you don’t get to stay in fantasy land either?

A. I can only scribble thoughts and highlights for so long before I have to commit to the difficult task of writing it all into a coherent story.  That puts a damper on some of the fun.  And before I can even do that, I have to name everyone.

 

Q. Thanks for taking the time to answer some questions.  By the way, what was the question someone needed to ask?

A. Don’t worry.  We covered it.

Back to Wisherton

Isn’t Back to Wisherton the title of a book I wrote a few years ago? Yes. Wasn’t it also the title of a previous blog post? No. Isn’t the whole Wisherton series a bit, I don’t know, off-brand for me? Yes and no.

Now let me elaborate on these questions. Back to Wisherton is in fact the second book in what is currently a four-book series. I named a post Back to Names around the time it released because I was excited to share that new book. I named this post because I’m excited to announce that I am going back to the Wisherton series to add a 5th book.

The title of book 5 will be Birthdays and Wisherton. Is anyone surprised by the format, a word that starts with B followed by Wisherton? I mean, anyone other than me. I never intended for that to be a thing. The first two books are set a little earlier than the rest. They go together to launch the series, and it seemed appropriate to give them similar titles. I had something completely different in mind for the 3rd book. And then I got yelled at.

Some people around me, including my children… okay, mostly my children, were outraged that I planned to deviate from the pattern I had established with the first two books. Nobody cared that I wasn’t trying to establish a pattern. I didn’t know I was locking myself into every book I write about these characters forever and ever having to start with the letter B. Fortunately, I warmed up to the idea of a starting point for my titles, though I would have put up a bigger fight if I had to work with Q.

As to the last question of whether I’ve wandered off track with this series, I think I can say no, not totally off track. Most of my books are romantic comedies and this is children’s fantasy. It is a different genre. But I’m still writing all the essentials. Wisherton is a fantasy world where Christianity does not exist. They do believe in a creator and that the sometimes supernatural gifts they’re given are for helping each other. There is still faith.

Love doesn’t always mean romantic love. I enjoy illustrating the strong bonds of family and friendship. Of course the people we most love are also the ones most capable of annoying us. That is an awesome source of humor for an author. I am inspired daily. Not that I’m suggesting anything in my books is directly from my own life. Any similarities are purely coincidental. Probably.

Today is release day.  The Art of Proposing is now available.  Maybe it could even be a last minute Christmas present, if ebooks weren't hard to wrap.  This is only a very short preview of the last short story since no one has to wait to read the rest of it.  

Ryan’s Turn

 The town had already hung the wreaths on the lampposts.  The lights were off because it was the middle of the day, but Violet still smiled to see how pretty they looked.  It increased her already Christmasy mood on the way to help Ryan decorate the January Café.  He turned down a drab side street to park behind the restaurant.

Violet had been inside with him when it was closed at least a handful of times.  Watching him unlock the door and flip on the lights still made her feel special.  He didn’t let just anyone in.  He unlocked the office as well.

“You can start making a plan while I wrestle the tree,” he said.

She said, “Okay,” and went inside to the cabinet of decorations.  She identified the box with the tree ornaments – it was labeled so it wasn’t difficult – and picked it up intending to bring it out front near where the tree would go.  She’d only made it back to the office door when she heard the creaking of a stepladder unfolding.  She set the box down to investigate.

Ryan had placed it between two prep tables and was about to ascend.  He seemed to read on her face that she didn’t have a question.  “You want to watch me get it down?”

“I’m curious.”  She answered with a shrug.  “You were kind of mysterious about it last year.  Like, you wait here so you don’t see me getting the tree from its super-secret hiding place.”

He let out a short laugh, then talked as he moved up the ladder.  “I’m sure I never called it a super secret, but I was probably vague on purpose.”  

----

To read the rest of the story, buy the 99-cent ebook:  Apple, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Kobo.