A New Chapter

With each new day it can be said we begin a new chapter of our lives. This is certainly true for me right now. Yesterday I emailed away another contemporary romance query to my editor at The Wild Rose Press. My working title has been Leath’s Legacy but whether that title will remain if the story is contracted, who knows. I’m afraid I’ve allowed too much time between stories this last year but I hope this will be the longest gap between new submissions. I’ll be aiming on being much more true to my original goal of years ago, that of writing at least four romance stories every year. I haven’t achieved that yet, but I think I can say I’m a little more focused on actually writing rather than being concerned about my business as a writer. Its time to concentrate on that greatest of advice, “write the next book” and get to work.

I’ve only managed a couple of thousand words over the last twenty four hours but I feel like I’m getting into “Justin’s Story” again. He’s been languishing far too long and finally I feel like I can bring him to life. I have managed to start two new chapters as well as develop another scene. I spent some enjoyable hours this afternoon on the Internet checking out the area where a close US friend suggested I should have him live, Alexandria, VA. I remember the general area well, but now I’ve found the house he shares with friends and explored the neighbourhood by way of google maps, I feel much closer to him. His heroine, Nicole, remains a bit of a mystery to me. I had her character quite clearly planned in my mind but she didn’t like the person I was making her into. Hence I’m now thinking I might just have to start her pieces again and rewrite her whole persona.

Justin appeared in my first novel “Worlds Apart” as a friend of the heroine, and I always intended to tell his story. His is a little complicated as the reason for his avoidance of attachments and relationships is wrapped up with his belief he has a deadly taniwha (a spirit) attached to him. A little more research is required than with my previous stories but I’ve loved delving into the idea of Maori mythology and how it might pertain to life today. Keep an eye out to see how Justin and Nicole are proceeding to find each other.