Headed down the homestretch

Two projects are racing toward conclusion. One is a ghostwriting project, a YA trilogy very loosely based on the Mahabharata. It's been a grand project, a whole lot of fun. The client's wonderful, too. I hope we'll work on future projects, because we make a really good team.

The wonderful thing about a project like that is the collaboration. We schedule a phone conversation to discuss ideas and direction for the next chapter, decide what we're going to do, then I write it. Sometimes writing the chapter veers a bit off-course. That adds an element of variability imparting a bit of extra drama or interest to the plot which develops as we go. 

I truly enjoy projects—and clients—like this. I think together we produce a superior story that meets or exceeds anything else on the market.

The other project is one of my own stories. I'm finally back to writing and it's been going well. It's strong. The wonderful thing about my own projects is that I can do what I want how I want. No one and nothing holds me back. The story goes in whichever direction my fancy takes it. Such is the writing style of a diehard pantser.

The new novel, estimated at 90,000 to 95,000 words, returns to the world of the Twin Moons Saga and, yes, it's another fantasy romance. The romance in this one is gentler than in the others; however, I think the characters are just as strong. The writing journey on this book involved a lot of starts and stops due to personal reasons and family tragedy. However, the story persisted. It's been gathering steam for weeks and we're barreling toward the end.

Of course, you know the ending. It's a romance, so there an only be one ending: a "happily ever after." Nothing else is acceptable, except perhaps a "happily for now" type of ending that really isn't an editing, but a "to be continued." Every romance reader knows that. A romance that doesn't end with the requisite HEA gets lambasted by reviewers who don't tolerate violation of genre expectations.

So, just to build a little advance interest, here's a bit about the new book.

• The release date will occur between June 30 and July 15. Look for Knight of the Twin Moons to debut then.
• The main male character (i.e., the hero) is very loosely based on the black knight of medieval lore.
• Yes, there really were black knights in the Middle Ages. They were mercenaries who painted their armor black for easier maintenance.
• My  hero is a mercenary of the justice-dispensing kind. He gets it honestly.
• The heroine is human, a divorced, former chemistry teacher who suffered a family tragedy and works as an HVAC technician. Of course, she doesn't remain human. Otherwise, the story would be a tragedy, because humans aren't immortal like the fae. (Remember HEA? HEA for the fae is "happily, eternally after.")
• The periodical table of elements is involved.

And, just to ensure you know that I put my money where my mouth is, I've already contacted an editor to help me whip the manuscript into shape for public consumption.

Until later.