Update: May 2021

At long last, we’re nearing the end of this virtual school year.  You know what that means?  I can finally dive back into writing regularly!  But that’s the future; let me fill you in on what I’ve been up to lately…

Like I mentioned in my last monthly update, I decided to write a new short story starring Whippoorwill.  Well, it started as a short story.  By the time I finished “An Oath to the Sun” with two days to spare before the April 30th deadline, it had blossomed into a 13k word novelette.  I can’t believe how easily the words flowed from my fingertips.  It’s been a while since my average daily wordcount hovered around a thousand.  Hopefully, this breakthrough continues over this summer.  I have so many ideas to bring to life.

While “Law, Love, and the Whippoorwill” was superhero romantic suspense, “An Oath to the Sun” is pure unadulterated murder mystery.  Here’s a sneak peak at my query letter:

After a standoff goes horribly wrong, Topsannah Price—better known as the vigilante Whippoorwill—responds to a call from District Attorney Madison Harper in the hopes of taking her mind off the tragedy.  At first, the case she presents seems clear-cut.  Ramzi Zahran was pulled over by Oklahoma City Police on suspicion of DUI and gunned down when he attacked an officer.  However, the toxicology report reveals he was under the influence of a lethal dose of methanol.  District Attorney Harper suspects foul play, but her staff are overworked, and the police refuse to investigate further.  Only the Whippoorwill can get to the bottom of this case before the poisoner’s trail goes cold.

After an interview with the victim’s widow Jasra reveals he may have been the target of retaliation for whistleblowing on his employer, Whippoorwill swears a traditional Comanche oath to the Sun that she will deliver the family justice.  But it’s not long before new evidence implicates Jasra herself.  When Whippoorwill digs deeper into the case, she discovers even more suspects and a possible conspiracy stretching across the entire state.  Can she keep her oath to the Sun?  Or will this case prove too much even for the seasoned vigilante?

The publisher is supposed to respond to my submission by the end of May, so hopefully I’ll have some good news to share with you in next month’s update!

So far this month, I’ve strung together a few more verses of “The Song of the Liberator”.  My latest haiku should be on DeviantArt today, too.  Otherwise, I’m relaxing after my relentless pace in April, helping round out the virtual school year, and plotting my next projects.  I’m leaning towards some final tweaks to “The Death of Liberty?” and finding a cover artist so I can self-publish the story on Amazon by July 6th.  Six months since the attack on the Capitol seems fitting, given the conflict of TDoL revolves around a plot against democracy.  Once that’s done, I plan to dive into revisions on The Silver Shrike.

April didn’t give me much time to read, but I did manage to finish Conflict of Interest.  It’s a surprisingly sweet story despite the heavy—and I mean heavy—subject matter.

Conflict of Interest by Jae

Now, I’m on to Sidekick: The Red Raptor Files.  It’s always great to find fresh superhero prose. I’d really love to see the subgenre takeoff, and books like this one do a great job of showcasing its potential.

Sidekick by Christopher J. Valin

In other news, I received my second dose of the Pfizer vaccine at the tail end of April and crossed into maximum immunity last week.  Not having to worry about passing COVID-19 along to vulnerable family members is a huge weight off my shoulders. And now that vaccinations are open to 12–15-year-olds, the rest of the family can get vaccinated too.  Things are really looking up!

Hopefully, a cover for “The Death of Liberty?” will be ready to reveal by June.  Until then, take care!