Homework

Monday, Monday, Monday . . . I’ve got homework pulling me away from THE TURN today, not hard, but tedious, and I know I’m going to get stuck and start reading instead of evaluating as I go over THE OPERATOR, (Peri Reed’s second volume) for pithy tidbits that can be used for promotion.

THE TURN (full-length novel prequel of the Hollows series out 2017) has been occupying my time for a few months now, but, as is not unusual, I have to set it aside to work on something already in the queue so as not to slow publcation down on THE OPERATOR.

Switching world to world isn’t hard for me, but it does tend to be a little depressing having to pull yourself from something you’re excited about right now to go back and look at work you’re not quite ready to face again. What I mean, is I’m full-throddle into THE TURN. I’m happy with it, like where it’s going, and it’s full of promise. All I remember from THE OPERATOR is the stuff that I didn’t do in the first draft that must be fitted in now, or the mistakes I have to fix, moments that I have to flesh out: the feeling of unfinished scaffold and clunky structure.

However . . . today, as I open up the prologue and start in with the intent to fast-read through the entire manuscript, looking for poignant passages that hold the heart of the story, I got lost. In five lousy pages, I got lost. Those first five pages are basically an info dump with five to six important plot and character “must haves,” to intelligently tell the real story along with the early foreshadowing of where the story is going to end up. But the touch was so light, I hardly noticed them, and I’m the one that put them there. I guess what I’m getting at is that I didn’t leave THE OPERATOR in as bad a shape as I thought, and that is a real relief, seeing as it’s going to be on my desk for the next six weeks, bare minimum. I love the raw, in your face exuberance of the Hollows, but Peri’s war with herself still holds my heart hostage.

Today is going to be stressful. I really like what I do, and skimming is hard for me.

And because I have to have a picture, here’s my Lady Slipper Orchid. I’ve had this plant for two moves, and though this isn’t the first time I’ve had it rebloom, this is the first time it has had four flowers in one cycle. I think it might have a fifth flower in there yet, too.

P.S. I should have the cover for the Hollows/Peri mash up novella “Waylaid” (retitled “Leylined” in the UK) for you on Thursday. I’ve seen it, and holy cow, it took my breath away. Check your newsletter. We’ve got a couple of cover releases yet this month.