Hello, my friends. This is precisely why I have come before you this week; to talk to you about my writing. You may have noticed that I have spent more time this year talking about the books that I have read more so than the books I have written. There's a story behind that; however, it isn't a very good story. Suffice it to say that there has been some drama behind the scenes which appears to have ironed itself out.
If you've been coming by periodically you know that there were some corrections that I wanted done to my first novel, Dance on Fire. Those are being done now. Both the e-book and the softcover will be corrected. The regulars may also realize that we've been stuck in the editing stage for quite a long time for the sequel, Flash Point. You would not be wrong, but that, too, is nearly complete. Those should be hitting my inbox in a matter of days and then I will pull a 24 hour shift and get those sent back out to my publisher. *Thinks again* Ok, perhaps not a 24, but as close as humanly possible.
In the meantime, I have begun editing the third novel that I have told you about entitled, Ghosts, and am very pleased with it. That book wrote itself very quickly this spring. I should be asking for beta readers at some point in July, if all goes well. I've never used betas before, but am looking forward to it. I have had a couple of wonderful people already offer to do that, and I love them for it. It has been a long time since my first release, and although I still don't exactly know when this second one is releasing, I do not want to wait as long for this third one to come out.
If you are unfamiliar with Dance on Fire, here's the blurb:
Each May, the Central California town of Kingsburg celebrates its Swedish heritage with the annual Swedish Festival: a weekend event where the town puts on its traditional dress, culminating with a dance around a Maypole on Friday, and a Swedish pancake breakfast and parade on Saturday. The town with a population of over 11,000 residents draws thousands more to the event. This year, two uninvited guests also converged upon the unsuspecting town.
Nathaniel is a vampire. He wandered
into town, bothering no one; feeding upon stray cats and other vermin, wanting
nothing more than to have a place to rest his head. Vincent is a second
vampire, and the one responsible for making
Nathaniel. He has been searching for his long lost “son” for well over two
centuries. Vincent’s goal is to take Nathaniel home or kill him. Nathaniel has
often wished for death, wondering why God ever allowed this punishment: to walk
the earth undead and unable to be redeemed. Does God remember the little boy
from Romania who watched his parents die, was raised by the murdering vampire,
only to become one himself? What does God think of Nathaniel and could there
yet be redemption for one outside of heaven?
Ten days before the start of the
Swedish Festival the most tumultuous week in the history of Kingsburg has begun
with two vampires leaving death and destruction in their wake. Kingsburg Police
Detectives Mark Jackson and Michael Lopez, Barbara and the entire Lopez family
find themselves drawn into something that threatens to destroy them all or
leave them scarred forever.
In a marriage of the classic horror story and the Christian themes of good conquering evil and redemption, Dance on Fire is the account of characters being drawn into the fire and the supernatural forces around them watching as they burn.
Here's the blurb for Flash Point:
Five years after the death of their only child Tiffany, Steve and Angie Rosen receive an unexpected guest to their Morro Bay, California home: their daughter. She comes with a tale of having suffered a terrible head wound in the fire that took their Kingsburg home, causing her loss of memory and migraine headaches that force her to hide from daylight in order to prevent. Tiffany's reemergence is treated like Manna from Heaven; however, her story is only half true. Tiffany is a vampire and their daughter in name only. She sleeps during the day and hunts for human blood during the night, and has come back to enact a twisted revenge upon those who ruined the plans of her master, the notorious vampire, Vincent. And she is not alone.
Five years after the terrible events that reshaped the Swedish Village, Kingsburg lies unsuspecting as five vampires descend upon her with a great evil in their black hearts.
Five years after old wounds have finally healed and the old fires were thought extinguished, Police Chief Michael Lopez and Officer Mark Jackson and their families find themselves surrounded when fires blaze anew. The good vampire, Nathaniel, has pledged his service to these people, but he is no longer among them. He lives high in the Oregon Mountains near the California border, seeking whether God might have a place in His kingdom yet for him.
When Nathaniel discovers that Tiffany has returned, will he be too late to stop her? And will his desire to protect his friends destroy what God has begun in him?
If you have yet to grab a copy of Dance on Fire, give it a week or so until I announce those corrections. I'll be sure to let you know.
I apologize for all of the delays. The next few weeks should be very exciting. I hope to have specific announcements and reveals for you. I will also be conquering that last peak: Amazon.com. The book has been everywhere else and now finally will be available everywhere. I thank you all for standing by me during this process and for always being good to extend me some encouragement. I hope I have done likewise.
We'll talk soon.
My family and I are looking forward to your next release(s) and I am sure we could find a willing soul around here to "beta test" if you need us.
ReplyDeleteGood luck, Jimmy. The editing part of writing takes as long as it takes. Sort of frustrating, I know. Your ghost story sounds intriguing.
ReplyDeleteHeck, you're moving right along. I feel like a slug next to you.
ReplyDeleteSounds like it's all coming together for you JImmy! How do you do it?!! I swear I can only handle 1 project at a time! Congrats on it all working for you now :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you're making progress, James. Any short stories you could write in between the waiting periods might be helpful. I love how it keeps me writing without being a burden on my time and mind. It's so much easier to edit when there is only a few pages to wrap your head around. I wish you the best going forward.
ReplyDeleteI'm agreeing with most of the comments here, especially Lorelei. The editing takes as long as it takes... and then it takes more time :)
ReplyDeleteJust keep fighting the good fight, my friend. Glad to hear things are moving forward (as I'm sure you will be glad to say regarding Dance on Fire. I think you already mentioned it, but those can be frustrating moments to find those errors after publication).
Good luck with revisions and new work.
Paul
Looking forward to some fabulous announcements and reveals!
ReplyDeleteJust keep blogging, Jimmy. Looking forward to the new book!
ReplyDeleteGlad the drama is over. It does tend to get in the way. Good to see you're close to getting new books out. Yay.
ReplyDeleteWow, you have been so busy! But how exciting to have your third book on it's way, congratulations, such a fantastic achievement. Good luck with the edits, I hope they go quickly ;).
ReplyDeleteGlad you're almost ready to roll! I'm sure that feels great. Good luck with publishing and new crit partners!
ReplyDeleteBlessings to you and yours, Jimmy. I'm sure the following books will be as awesome as the first, and I can't wait to get my greedy little hands on them! I hope life has been treating you well. Best of luck with the future!
ReplyDeleteAww, Jimmy. The life of a writer, right? You are always so busy, but you always have time for us. :) Happy to see you're moving ahead with your writing. Hugs to you, my friend.
ReplyDelete