Getting back to writing
By Joyce Holland
A few months ago I swore I would start writing again. I have and I can now say I've made good on my promise to my sister's memory because I'm back at it full time. I pulled everything from my filing cabinets and dug in. It didn't feel right though because I think what I wanted was to write something new to get myself fired up. Then, I saw a call for submissions to a superhero romance anthology. It had to be 25 to 30 thousand words, and the deadline was only three weeks out. That was just what I needed, a real challenge. I'm proud to say I did it, I wrote a 28 thousand word superhero romance in record time. Yeehaw! Unfortunately, I didn't make it into the anthology, but it really doesn't matter because I'm on a writing roll.
Next I pulled out a mystery I had written just before my sister Jane died. I freshened it up and sent it on its way to MuseItUp Publishing in Canada. Why there? Well, because a friend had just sold them a book and said they were a joy to work with. Also, they are an e-publisher, and I happen to think that's the future and I wanted to get in on the ground floor with them because I think they are going places. Predators and Editors gave them an award for being one of the best e-pubbers in the business. BTW, they also print many of their longer books after a year as e-books. The point—two days later, I received a contract from them. Darn, it feels good just saying that. The book is called Murder by Design and is the first in my Tito Prescott Mystery series. It's tentatively scheduled to come out in July of 2012. Now I'm gathering up my short stories and I'm going to get them out there circulating. This feels good.
Here are the blurbs for the Prescott series and the first book.
THE TITO PRESCOTT MYSTERIES
Meet Tito Prescott, a private eye with panache. Born rich and committed to staying that way, he's a wannabe James Bond. Beyond the glamour and the glitz, Tito is a gadget freak. If it can snoop, peek or translate, he's gotta have it. With a lifelong friend, a wife who loves him and a Labrador that's trying to train him, most people would say Tito leads a charmed life. So why does he constantly complicate it with murder? Pick up the first Tito Prescott Mystery and find out for yourself.
Book One (80,000 words)
Murder by Design
When Tito Prescott's partner hurtles off an overpass in a stolen car, it's up to Tito to solve their latest case. To protect their client, Claire Desmond, Tito follows the trail of a sadistic killer across two states, only to find himself knee-deep in a primeval Florida swamp. A swamp that becomes the hunting ground for a predator more perilous than water moccasins, alligators and quicksand, a demented psychopath who is into a bizarre ritual the police call—murder by design.
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On a lighter note, I used to do cartoons, nautical ones, so thought this might be a good place to share them occasionally. This first one was published in FUTURES MAGAZINE several years ago. The scanning process came out weird, but you can still make it out.
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