Writing During Extraordinary Times

As we grind through this most extraordinary year, I've been working on various projects to keep myself sane. I love writing anyway, but right now it's my sanity check. Spending too much time on Facebook or Twitter tends to make me swear a lot and so I step back into my imaginary worlds to make things right again.

​At present there are a number of projects in various stages. This is NOT normal for me--I usually work on one book at a time. Right now I have *four* manuscripts, each at different stages of progress. I'm not quite sure what to make of this, actually.

The main book is about Simon Adler, lay exorcist for the Vatican in my Demon Trappers series. LOST SOULS takes place in late May 2019, which means time has finally caught up with the series (in the past all the books were set in our future). I can assure you there will be NO MENTION of anything relating to the horrors of 2020. I write to escape so bringing the pandemic or anything like that into my stories would defeat the purpose. And, I suspect, not go over well with you folks as you already get enough of that sorta thing round the clock.

I've completed the Third Draft and will be working with my wonderful cover artist Clarissa (www.yocladesigns.com). Previous books only had Riley on them and now there will be two characters on the cover. This should be fun. The next step after that is scheduling the editorial process with Mollie Traver (www.mollietraver.com). Mollie has edited every Demon Trappers work since Book #2 (SOUL THIEF) so she knows the characters and the world. 

The next book is a Chandler Steele novel (the pseudonym I use for the Veritas series as they are decidedly more adult). These stories are thrillers with a bit of romance on the side. Lots of explosions, very bad things happen, and it's a race for the good guys to win against the evil doers. They're very gritty and contemporary so I have to be careful to keep them relevant. The one I'm working on is KNIFE EDGE (Book 4) and delves into conversion therapy and teen rehabilitation camps. The hero and heroine (Neil and Miri) were introduced in Book 1 (CAT'S PAW). I'm about a third of the way through this one. 

The next in the queue is Demon Trappers #9. This picks up where LOST SOULS ended, following the adventures of Simon and a new character I introduce in the previous book. I have ZERO idea where this one is going. I'm just throwing scenes on the page, and if I'm lucky it'll turn out to be worth reading. Or not. I'm still feeling around the edges of this new character and how she plays out. Time will tell. If nothing more, it keeps me from calling people Stupid (or much, much worse) on the internet.

And finally I started fiddling with a story about a psychic who works in a law firm and is given a Final Offer (help a dead guy figure out who murdered him or she dies in a tragic accident). This one is totally off-the-cuff and may not live to see the light of day. Right now I have about 80 pages, and like DT 9, I have NO CLUE where it's going.

​It appears that for 2020 all the norms are being set aside, both in the outside world and in my private writing world. I'd really like to see the outside world fix itself. As for my writing , I'll just trust the gift I've been given and see where it all leads.

Stay well. This too shall pass. And please, if you're a US citizen, vote this November. A democracy only works when people hold their elected officials accountable. You do that at the ballot box. 

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