In my notebook.
I figured for my second post it might be acceptable to highlight the writing projects I’m currently working on. For those who don’t know, I’m a pantser when it comes to working on a manuscript, and a slow one at that. Scenes don’t have to be perfect, but they have to be good enough to wipe the cringe off my face just for me to continue onward. That means it takes me forever to finish a book. But I’m working on it—two, to be exact . . .
In my notebook //
A Valley of Blood and Bones. This story has been in the works since 2008. Simple math brings us to seven years. Seven years. It’s been written and re-written more times than I can count. The story has since changed dramatically, and I hope (I repeat: I hope) I can have it done in time for a release next year. It’s the story about a woman who has the stereotypical run-in with a vampire, with a very non-stereotypical outcome.
I like to consider it a unique blended cocktail that is one part Matheson’s I Am Legend and one part McKinley’s Sunshine, shaken—not stirred—with a splash of Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, challenging vampire genre norms with one woman, trapped between the mortal and immortal realms, who holds the secret to eternal life within her veins. Though she tries her best to live a normal life, living doesn’t get any easier when her heart stops. She’s able to prove humanity exists even in the monstrous, and the line between the two is oftentimes blurred beyond recognition.
I’m still working on writing the skeleton of this story, and then it’ll move into beta reading and edits (with my fabulous editor, Kisa Whipkey). Interested in potentially signing up as a beta reader? Read the first chapter and then contact me!
Oupia {A Temporary Title}. This one has effectively been pushed to the back burner while I work on bringing A Valley of Blood and Bones up to where it needs to be. I began working on this one in 2010, and with only a few beginning lines, built a post-apocalyptic Earth, one divided into three planes of existence: Verluth, the uppermost portion, where everyone lives; Oupia, the lowermost portion, a frozen wasteland; and Sin, sitting right in the middle, an infected land, destroyed and now inhabited by super-evolved animals. I love this story. I think it best represents me as a writer and storyteller. The one problem? The plot direction has been causing me some trouble, which is why I’m letting it rest and focusing on AVBB. Hopefully when I return to it I’ll be able to pick up the broken pieces and craft together a story you’ve never seen before.
Have I piqued your interest? Read the first chapter here!
The Four Corners of Night. Just a quick mention of this project. It’s the sequel to A Valley of Blood and Bones, which I actually have a loose outline of in my head. About three chapters have been written, however I’m waiting to continue the story until I have AVBB finalized and released out into the world. I’m excited about this one, which features a duel POV and more new twists on the vampire mythology.
