Hidden Surprises

I had hoped that I’d be able to announce that I’d finished the first draft of book three today. But it’s not quite done. The first draft is longer than I anticipated because twists that I hadn’t planned came together at the end.

One of the twists involved a hiding place (don’t worry, I won’t give you any big spoilers). And I got to thinking about hiding places and how much I like them. Screwing Up Time had hidden passages and a secret document cache. I think the idea of finding something hidden appeals to everyone. Though maybe as adults it’s less so. Maybe we’ve become too jaded.

But I love how children still look for hidden things. In our living room we have a massive armoire. It’s an antique from France. In the middle it has a thick mirror backed with quicksilver (mercury). When children, especially young ones, walk into our house, it’s among the first things they notice. Because it’s an old mirror, it has much more dimensionality than modern mirrors. (And it’s very flattering too.) It really does look like you’re staring at your twin. Even older kids reach out to touch the mirror.

Then, they usually look at me. There’s wistfulness in their eyes and I know they’ve read The Chronicles of Narnia. I ask the child, “Would you like to look inside?” The child always nods his/her head. I warn them, “I wish it were a passage to Narnia. But it only holds linens—tablecloths, place mats, and bedding.” They nod, still hoping.

Finally, I open the door. They peer inside. I say, “Go ahead. You may touch the back and make sure it’s there.” And they do.

Part of me is always sad when they feel the wood at the back. But strangely, the kids are always thankful. They give me a smile and I feel for a moment as if we’ve shared a common hope—a wistful sense of literary intrusion in the real world.

The other day I decided that I’m going to get a fancy bowl and fill it with candy and put it in the back of the armoire. That way, there will be something for the children to discover after all. Not quite the same as Narnia, but a happy surprise anyway.

Here's a photo of the armoire I took this morning. It doesn't give you the best sense of its size, but I'm standing about  ten feet away from the armoire.

Almost Done

At the end of October, I started writing book 3 in the Screwing Up Time series. Now I’m about 5000 words from finishing the first draft. (Okay, it may be longer than that—so much is happening to the characters that I don’t think it will all be over in 5000 words. But the end is close.) And I can’t believe it. I’ve never been able to write so fast.

And I’m not sure why it happened. Maybe it’s because I’ve got more experience writing. Maybe it’s because I’ve stuck to a rigid schedule—writing five to six days a week, 4000 to 5000 words a week. Maybe it’s because it’s winter and I’m not working in the flower gardens. It’s probably all of those things. But it’s also because I love this book. I love Mark’s willingness to deal with everything from guns to tasers because he wants to do the right thing—and if it gives him more time with Miranda, that’s even better. I love that Miranda keeps her cool no matter how crazy things become, even when angry pagan priests are thirsty for blood. I love Nin, a certifiably crazy cryptographer. And I love my antagonist, a villain that Mark didn’t expect, who could definitely give Nin a run for her money in the who’s-the-most-psycho category.

I hope that whets your appetite for the book. I don’t have a publication date yet. But I can promise that as soon as the first draft is written, I’ll start the edits right away. The weeds in my flower garden will just have to wait.

Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards 2013

In case you didn't know, Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award 2013 has begun. The entry period started yesterday and runs through January 27, or until they receive 10,000 entries. This year they have five categories: General Fiction, Romance, Mystery/Thriller, Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror and Young Adult Fiction . 

Last year I entered Screwing Up Time and it was a Quarter-finalist. It was a wonderful experience. (Though not everyone has had positive experiences, a lot depends on the reviewers you get.) This year I debated whether to enter or not. I'm not sure whether books in a series like Screwing Up Babylon have a chance, especially since SUB is the second book in a series not the first. (I mentioned that it was a book in a series in the pitch paragraph, so there's no confusion later.)

In the end, I have nothing to lose by entering, assuming I'm not too discouraged if the book doesn't do well. (For those of you who are considering entering--read the small print regarding exclusivity, agents, etc.)

In the meantime, good luck to everyone entering! And if you're entering, leave me a note in the comments section--I want to cheer for you!

How Hard Can a Title Be?

I’m terrible with titles. The titles I come up with are cringe-worthy. In fact, the working title I used for Screwing Up Time was so bad I don’t dare share it with you. My son is the one who came up with the title Screwing Up Time.

It made book 2 very easy. The story was set in Babylon, so book 2 was Screwing Up Babylon. And the short story was set in Mongolia, so the title was “Screwing Up Mongolia.” Easy.

And then book three came along. And trouble came with it. Not that the book’s a problem. It’s not. The title is the problem. Book three isn’t set in one time. Mark actually travels to three different times—not all of them in the past. So I have no idea what to call the book. Screwing Up Place A/B/C? Really dumb.

Right now, I’m leaning toward naming it after the time/place that the plot revolves around. And I’ll give you a little hint. It’s a continent that Mark hasn’t visited before. Feel free to guess in the comments.

Now Available on Kobo!

Screwing Up Time and Screwing Up Babylon are now available on Kobo!

Here's the link for Screwing Up Time. Click here.

Here's the link for Screwing Up Babylon. Click here.

The New Year, the New Book, and Paris

Happy New Year!!

I’m a bit swamped right now, but I wanted to give you a quick update. The first draft of book 3 in the Screwing Up Time series is now over 60% done!!  The end is in sight both in words and in my mind. And I’m really excited. I love the new character Nin. And she and Mark are about to get themselves into a disaster. And right now, I have no idea how they are going to get out. *Squee*

My goal is to have the first draft finished by the end of February. That way, I can get at least one or two revisions done before my husband and I go to…Paris! For Christmas/my birthday/our 25^th wedding anniversary, Cal is taking me to Paris. If you want to know the whole story about how my amazingly sneaky family kept this a secret for months, I wrote about it at my other blog—click here.

Photo by Alex Sims, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Smashwords

Screwing Up Time and Screwing Up Babylon are now available at Smashwords!! So now they're available for any format e-reader!

Here's Screwing Up Time.

Here's Screwing Up Babylon.

Merry Christmas!!