So how’s the next book coming?

So how’s the next book coming?

I get that question a lot. Ever since I released Silver Vengeance in July of 2011, people have asked me about the next book. In my mind, that’s a bit of a loaded question, but my readers, my audience may not know why. Since I value you all, I’m going to get a little personal. My husband and I had a loose conversation in 2010 about starting a family. At that time, my book had been pitched to editors in New York City, and I felt that I wanted to give it a real chance. I told my husband that I wanted to wait until after my book was published. I received a lot of interesting feedback from editors and agents. And, after some careful consideration, I heartily ignored them, did some rewrites that I had been aching to do, some revisions that were purely me, had it edited, and then published it independently. If you’re curious how I came to the decision to independently publish and what I saw as the pros and cons, I talk about it here and here. Well, I released my book to the wide open world on a Wednesday and went to the doctor on a Friday. We were pregnant. I got my book and our baby in the same week. Life is awesome like that.

Naively, I told myself that I would be writing my second book while pregnant and completing it by my due date. (Pause for laughter). I didn’t have terrible morning sickness, but I did have a double, perhaps a triple, dose of exhaustion. I basically napped my entire first trimester. I could barely stay awake to read, let alone promote my book. When I woke up around October, I wrote. I wrote some odd, hormone filled prose that I quickly deleted. Pregnancy hormones are… interesting to say the least. I wrote some more. I blogged. I read. I wrote reviews. I joined an awesome writer’s group. I deleted what I wrote. I read some more. I wrote an outline. I deleted it. See a pattern? Then, in March of 2012, I gave birth. Maternity leave lasted about 35 seconds, and then I was back to work. I tried to read as voraciously as I used to, and when that was lost to bottle washing, diaper changing, and perfecting the shh, shh, shh bounce maneuver, I realized my habits had to change.

My husband then got me the most amazing birthday gift- a Kindle. Having my ebook reader changed my reading habits drastically. I no longer had to wait for a trip to Barnes and Noble to get my next book. I could barely go shopping for food, let alone books. Instant gratification is a truly beautiful thing, as is the fact that my Kindle fits in the diaper bag. It also fits easily in one hand, while my baby sits on my lap with his own book. Yes, this is as cute as it sounds. So, now that I’ve adapted my reading habits to fit into my new, hectic life, I am working to revamp my writing habits. This, as you can imagine, is more difficult. Currently, I’m writing more and deleting less. This is progress.

I have a vision for the Silver series. The next book will take place primarily in Miami. Nick and Gabby’s story and romance continue as they face an even more ruthless foe with dark plans for the underworld of werewolves, witches, and demons. A great deal of this story is outlined in my mind, but because I will not have long afternoons filled with quiet writing and reflection for many more years, I am working, little by little, to put an exceptionally detailed outline together. Ideally, I will be able to pick up and put down my writing with the same ease and lack of frustration as I do my Kindle. Overall, the series will comprise four books. Following Silver Vengeance will be Silver Heat, Silver Gamble (taking place in Vegas), and, finally, Silver Secret. Because, as a Kindle owner, I rarely buy the first book of a series unless I know the second one is already available, I understand the frustration of my readers who tore through a quick and suspenseful read with no second book in sight. I wrote Silver Vengeance in under six months. Actually, I wrote, rewrote, and rewrote it again in under a year. Essentially, I am a quick writer.

The words are coming, I promise. However, I do not plan on releasing Silver Heat until Silver Gamble is nearly done. It’s only fair for you to have the next book at the ready for you to download or order. I want you to be as addicted to this series as I have been to several others in the past few months, sometimes reading two to three books in a week.

People tell me nearly every day that children grow up so fast. It’s true. It’s painfully true. Less than six months ago, I was carrying my little Desmond inside me, and now, he has two new teeth and a determination to crawl. He laughs, pets his dog, gives kisses, and loves bananas. He won’t be little forever. And, as his adoring mom, I know that Nick and Gabby, the Silver Series, and hopefully, my readers will wait.

So, in answering the question about how the writing is going, I say this: It’s going. Sometimes, it’s slow. Sometimes, it takes off like an out-of-control flame spreading across dry brush. Sometimes, I’m not writing at all: I’m laughing at the new noise my son learned to make or enjoying a rare moment alone with my husband. But, the stories still exist in my mind and heart, and as any writer knows, they have to come out. They have to. And, eventually, they will.

I will keep you updated. In the meantime, here’s a sample of the other project that has been occupying my time.