Getting Back into the Writing Groove

I did something this weekend I’ve needed to do for a long time: I started a new story.

It felt really, really good to put the pen to the paper and do something creative. I have been so busy with packing the house, selling the house, and then moving that there wasn’t much time for anything else. We’re getting settled now, so I’m getting back into a schedule.

It’s always hard starting a new story. I’m working on the third Ifs book for my boys. I have the basic idea of what is going to happen, but it’s always a surprise to me how the characters get there. I worry a lot when I write. I worry I’ll run out of ideas part way through the story. I worry the story will be terrible. I worry I won’t be able to finish. Some days, those worries make writing challenging, so I have to find ways to push through.

Per my children’s request, this story will have zombies in it. Like me, they are incredibly fascinated by the creatures and want a book just for them with the undead. I’m sure they are excited to see how the characters named after them will fight them off and be victorious. To tell you the truth: I’m excited to see what they’ll do too!

As of this post, I’ve only gotten two chapters written, but I’m going to keep moving forward. My goal with my middle grade books is to write a chapter a day, which means I will be done with a rough draft in a about two weeks. I’m a little behind, but it won’t take long to catch back up. From there, it’s edit, edit, edit. As my favorite saying goes:

Here’s to writing!

A Great Week Related to Writing

Friends, it’s only Wednesday, but I have to say this has been a great week related to writing. So many magical and wonderful things have happened. I’m giddy with excitement!

First on the list is getting new covers. It has been raining covers in my world this week. The only one I can share with you at the moment is the new cover for Coming from Nowhere.

I’ve also re-released this book, so if you are interested, you can find it on Amazon. This is some of the other exciting news for this week. I’m also re-releasing Finding Eden. It’s a long story why I’m self-publishing these books, but I’m really excited to be able to have control. I like having control.

Finding Eden will also be getting a new cover, but it hasn’t been finalized yet, so I can’t share it with you. Don’t worry, you’ll know when it’s done.

I also received the cover for Humanity’s Hope. However, we’re planning a cover reveal, so I can’t share that with you yet either. I know, I know. It’s not nice to tease. I want to share it now too. It’s freaking amazing!

My friend (hi, Tamara!) and I are going to be co-authoring a work together. We met about it yesterday, and we’re both excited to get started on the project. All I can really tell you right now is that it’s going to be sci fi. I’m not trying to be obtuse, we just don’t have all the details worked out yet. We both love this genre, so we thought it would be the most fun to create a story in. I’m finishing some things up, then I’ll get to work.

So, speaking of finishing things up, I’ve been making a lot of progress on the sequel to Humanity’s Hope. I’m hoping to be done with the very rough draft by the end of the week. It’ll still take a lot of editing, but at least I’ll have something to edit. It feels so good to be making progress on this project.

Humanity’s Hope is getting closer to publication. As I said, I have the cover, and the text is going to the next stage of editing. I don’t know how long it will take, but I’m still hoping for an early 2017 release. Again, you’ll know when it comes out.

I’ve also received some amazing reviews for my work. One of them was for A Rancher and a Warrior, but Amazon took it down. Here’s what is said:

Intertwining history and a family saga, this book informs and delights. A man of many talents, Dale has survived WWII, although not unscathed, and goes on to flourish as a rancher and consultant. Well documented, the book focuses on Dale's contributions to the cattle industry and the state of Wyoming. Filled with archival gems, this book celebrates and honors a rancher and a warrior.

The other two were for Wucaii. If you’re inclined to check them out, you can find them here and here.

All of these amazing developments have got me jazzed. I’m riding the wave of creative excitement and can’t wait to see where the rest of the year takes me.

I Can’t Seem to Stop!

I started a new project. It wasn’t my intention to start a new one. I actually wanted to take a break from writing and work on PR and marketing for my already published books, but this one is time sensitive, so I had to get started. I’m writing my grandfather-in-law’s biography.

It’s going to be interesting. The man is a WWII vet who won three medals while overseas, and he was a rancher in Wyoming for a long time who made some breakthroughs in the cattle industry. I’m still in the early stages of research for the project, but I have a feeling I’m going to learn a lot about the war and about ranching.

I don’t know a lot about either, so anything I discover will be exciting. Several years ago, when I was working on Coming from Nowhere, I researched Nazi SS soldiers because it was pertinent to some of my characters. I found that incredibly fascinating. My spouse and I often watch shows on the History channel about WWII, but I think this time researching the war is going to be a lot different. It’s going to be a lot more personal.

I’m lucky that my grandfather-in-law is still alive, so I have the luxury and honor to speak with him. I also have this amazing recording he did for public record about his time overseas. It’s approximately 7 hours of him speaking about his experience. I just finished the first 4 hours over the weekend.

It’s really emotional listening to this recording. Often times I hear in his voice how upset the memories still make him. But then there are other times he breaks out laughing as he remembers a story. It’s amazing, and I can’t wait to get his words down on paper for others to enjoy.

I also have recordings about him talking about other aspects of his life, which I think are going to be really fun to listen to. He was so passionate about ranching. And the fantastic thing about that aspect of his life is that there are people I can talk to about the impacts he made in the cattle industry. I can’t wait to hear what they have to say!

As I mentioned, I’ve just started my research, but I will let you know how everything goes with the project. I’m excited to dive deeper and see what I can discover.

Life-consuming Projects

When I write, not only do I become obsessed with a project, but it takes over my life until it’s done. If I could, I would lock myself away from the world and work until the book was done or I passed out from exhaustion. Unfortunately, I don’t have that option. Life gets in the way. I have a day job and a family to take care of (which usually takes precedent), but any and all free time is devoted solely to writing. So don’t ask me for anything!

Finding the balance between life and writing can get incredibly exhausting. Focusing on writing uses most of my brain, which means that it’s not functioning for other tasks that have to be done. Did you ask me a question? Sorry, I didn’t hear it. I was listening to the voices in my head. Oh, you need something? Give me one minute. I said that ten minutes ago? Sorry!

But I’m persistent and stubborn, so I find a way to make it work. That means something has to be put on the backburner, but laundry, cleaning the house, and loading the dishwasher will always wait. They are super like that!

And once the project’s finally done, that’s when I can sit back, take a deep breath, and catch up on everything I’ve missed.

In case you missed it, Dealing with Devils is now available. You can find it here. I hope you enjoy!

Dating a demon has its advantages, like helping deliver souls to Hell. Wait...what?

Katie’s world has been turned upside down. She's fallen for Josh—despite the fact that he’s a demon from Hell. Wes is finally out of her system and her life. Convinced she can change Josh, she sets out to make him a better person, only to find out things aren’t as simple as she’d originally thought. For one thing, Josh has Katie help him deliver souls to Hell, and she kind of likes it. And to top it off, other more powerful demons are battling for her soul, and revelations from the past could change the course of her life forever.

Old-School Style

Recently, I finished the very rough draft of the third book in The Road to Salvation series. The first two are The Appeal of Evil and Dealing with Devils. It still doesn’t have a title, but it will eventually. I’m not a fan of coming up with titles. I actually dislike it quite a bit. I’m always looking for the perfect way to describe the book in just a few short words. It’s hard.

Anyway, when I write, I usually use a combination of handwriting and working on the computer. What I use depends on what I have access to. When I’m doing anything with the kids, I handwrite. It’s a lot easier to drop a notebook and pen if something happens than a computer. Plus, I don’t have to worry about the battery going dead.

This time, however, I hand wrote the entire manuscript. I’m not really sure why. Part of the reason was because with Dealing with Devils, it irritated me to have to type out chapters before moving along with the story. It felt like I was going backwards instead of forward, so I changed it up for the third book.

At the moment, I’m in the process of getting the chapters typed up. It’s a bit tedious, but it gives me a chance to revise as I go along. And, really, the hard part is still done. The story is still on paper.

I’m not sure I can tell you which way I think works better. Either way, the story is getting written. Either way, it makes my wrists hurt. To be honest, I’m just happy it’s done.

New Project

While I'm waiting for the nonfiction zombie book to be edited, I have moved on to another project.  Currently, I am working on Dealing with the Devil, which is the sequel to The Appeal of Evil.  I'm about seven chapters in.

This story has been a lot of fun to write.  I always enjoy coming back and revisiting my characters, especially when they have a story to tell.  It's also a lot of fun for me because I'm incorporating the Devil into this book.  I have such a fascination with him.  It started when I was in college and read Paradise Lost by Milton.  The way he portrays Satan in that story totally intrigues me.  It's going to be a lot of fun putting my own twist on this character.

I have no idea when the story will be done, but I'll keep you updated on the progress.  There are fun and exciting times ahead!