Christopher H. Jansmann's Blog, page 21

AMA January 25th-29th

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I’ll be doing my first ever AMA over on GoodReads January 25th to the 29th.

While my intention is to talk about Blindsided, I may or may not entertain questions about the upcoming books in the series. Interested? Head over and ask me a question!

Winter

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I’ve been writing a number of scenes this week that take place during a nasty snowstorm, something I’ve not directly experienced now in a good number to years. Still, having lived through more than a few during my time in New England, I found after the first few paragraphs it was quite easy to recall being cold, worn out and ground down by the remorseless falling of snow.

Yes, slowly falling snowflakes are beautiful, and if you don’t need to go out in it at all, it’s possible to enjoy the peaceful calm it presents while safely ensconced at home sipping your hot cocoa. Maybe when I am retired, winter will move into this position for me, but for now, all I have are the memories of digging out, going to work in the dark, then digging out again return home in the dark.

Edits

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I’ve been quieter than normal here for a few reasons.

It is the first of the year, which is a busy time for us at my day gig; with the pandemic still raging, most activities are still being conducted remotely for safety, but that doesn’t seem to reduce the amount of work we do (go figure!). But I also somewhat foolishly decided to start work on the fifth book in my series which essentially means any spare time I have has been spent working on the new manuscript.

On top of all of that, though, I am also knee deep in the final edits of the second book, Outsider, which is due out at the end of next month. While editing isn’t exactly my favorite part of the writing process, it’s one of the most important ones, so I usually spend quite a bit of time at it. The final edit will be my fourth time through the book, actually — not counting writing it, and the initial read afterward.

Normally, I wouldn’t try to write a new book while editing an existing one, and I’m not sure I would recommend it to anyone, either. It has it’s perks, though, especially since spending so much time with Sean in an earlier book has informed quite a bit of the events in a later one. Although my characters are with me all the time, Sean hasn’t been the lead voice for me in two books, so to be honest, it took doing a re-read of the second book to get back into the groove.

One thing I’d not forgotten? How much coffee the poor guy drinks.

Hardcover is available!

Blindsided (Book 1)

It took longer than I thought to get it out, but the hardcover version of Blindsided is finally available. I have to admit, it’s pretty cool having three different editions available; I’m nearly done reading through the Kindle version (for the first time as a reader) and will tackle the hardcover next, just to get a sense of the change in experience.

I am certain I will miss the X-Ray items I added to the Kindle, though; it’s fun seeing the small Easter Eggs I snuck into the book.

Working Ahead

I’ve been alternating between the final edits on the second book in the Sean Colbeth series, Outsider, and the latest book which, surprisingly, will be the fifth. It’s a bit hard to believe I’ve put as much down on virtual paper as I have, but I suppose in retrospect, it’s one of the few bright spots that 2020 provided. With few places to go this year, I had more time than normal to get deep into my writing.

I’m used to working ahead, actually, and to be honest, having the ability to write so many connected novels back to back has allowed me to keep them connected in ways that would be hard if I’d done only one per year. While I managed to do three in 2020, I’m not sure I can squeeze more than four and still keep them polished. We’ll see if I can for four books is the goal in 2021.

Chapter Titles

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Up until my most recent novel, I didn’t assign a name to my chapters other than their number (i.e. “One” or “Thirty-Three”). While I generally have an idea of the theme for each chapter, it wasn’t until I switched to using Scrivener this past November that I was forced to actually think about using them; I’m not generally a fan of changing my way of working due to software, but in this case, for the first time it started to make sense that I might want them.

To be clear, the titles I had in place while writing Ditched were not meant for prime time and won’t make it into the final manuscript, but it was fairly cool to look them over and see how the pattern of the story was represented by them. That, and I have a wild sense of humor when it comes to picking them. Much like the actual names of my novels, the chapter titles had a similar dual meaning – the obvious, and then the one that appears as you work through that section. Picking them was actually far harder than I realized, and in some cases, the chapter titles adjusted as I edited to fall in line with the content.

Will I use them?

I don’t know. Maybe? They aren’t that common in the mystery genre, which is my current space, and with good reason. The last thing I want is the reader to be able to divine more than they should simply based on the chapter names… unless the author became particularly devious about choosing them… hmm…

Brand New Year

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I’m probably not alone in looking forward to turning the calendar over. This past year has been extraordinary on so many levels it’s nearly impossible to contemplate what its overall effect has been. So much has changed in such a short period of time, I do wonder as we move into the new year what aspects will persist, and which ones will fall by the wayside.

I’ve done far more writing this past year than ever before; my plans for 2021 include at least as much as what I’ve done on 2020, without doing too much (if that makes sense). But I already know I need to be strategic in how I plan, for it’s far too easy for me to overcommit to projects that I would want to invest my heart and soul into – but would push other important parts of my life to the side. It took me far too many years to get the right balance of work/life, and though 2020 blurred that line more than I wanted, I think I came out ahead.

Do I have resolutions for 2021? A few, perhaps, carefully chosen to ensure they are reasonable expectations I can place upon myself without incurring the angst of incompletion.

The one resolution I won’t make? Drinking less coffee. That’s just wrong.

Downhill

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I’ve been thinking about skiing recently.

That’s a bit odd, I suppose, given where I now live here in the Desert Southwest, but also probably a bit of a hazard from writing a novel or two set back in Maine. It didn’t help that I saw snow in the mountains surrounding where I live, either, though to be honest, I’m quite happy seeing the snow and not having to deal with the rest of what comes with it. I have terrible memories of digging out my driveway to slog my way to work, then digging out my car in the parking lot after a full day of snowfall only to return to a driveway that needed to be cleared once again. Unlike the two-a-days from swimming, brandishing a shovel more than a single time in twenty-four hours seemed like a way for the universe to prove to us who, exactly, was in charge. (And it wasn’t us.)

I came to skiing late, actually. With everything else I was up to as a kid, trekking to the local slopes for the weekend wasn’t in the cards, nor was it an inexpensive way for our family to vacation. A year into my professional life, though, my father signed the two of us up for night classes at Shawnee Peak, a mountain within easy driving distance of where we lived at the time — and, more importantly, one of the few ski resorts that had lights. Since we commuted together at that point, he’d pick me up at the office and we’d be off, spending a few hours of quality time together while simultaneously learning how to control my fight against gravity.

Having grown up skiing in the Alps, Dad really didn’t need the lessons like I did, but all the same he went through them with me. We had one of the best instructors I’ve ever encountered, and by the end of the season, I’d progressed far enough to try some of the more difficult trails the mountain offered. Looking back on it now, I can’t tell you how precious my memories of that time are; we did it again the following year, but with shifting schedules, our time together on the slopes ended far too soon. I am happy we did get time to experience the “full family” outing a few times in the years after, for there’s truly nothing quite like skiing with your my siblings — even if they did favor snowboarding over skiing. In retrospect, I wish I’d done far more with them before heading west, but I cherish memories of what we did as well.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

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Wednesday makes me think of Walt Disney World and chocolate chip cookies.

The former is because I was married to the love of my life on a Wednesday at Walt Disney World, the latter is because right after the ceremony, we caught the first transport we could back to the Magic Kingdom and made a beeline for the Main Street Bakery. At the time (which was more years ago than I want to admit), Disney made the cookies on site and they were a thing to behold, easily three or four inches across. Paired with a Diet Coke, my wife and I found a quiet nook and munched while peoplewatching, the most extraordinary way to spend the first few hours of our married life together.

So both chocolate chip cookies and Wednesdays bring a smile to my face. And now you know why.

Practice

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I spoke earlier about my experience as a swimmer; I’ve been thinking about that more since posting. As threads often go, I found myself remembering just how much time I spent at the pool growing up; it was a ton even before I joined the local swim club, and then it increased accordingly due to the demands of practice. There were multiple points in my (short) swimming career when I would report to the pool before seven, spend an hour or so working through the sadistic list from coach, then go on my merry way until returning around three for the second workout of the day. As grueling as practice was, I always looked forward to going.

Other things in my teen life ultimately drew me away from the pool, to my lasting regret; I had no idea that all of those hours spent absorbing chlorine might have netted me a scholarship somewhere — though I am clear eyed enough to know I was never good enough for any of the top tier programs. Still, the chance to compete on a higher stage would have been satisfying, if for no other reason than to have experienced it.