I don’t usually say much here about my books, becuse that’s very much a sideline, but from time to time, I’ll offer an update.
My latest novel, ‘Recovery’ has been somewhat delayed. I finished writing about a year ago and submitted it for final editing shortly after. Since then, various personal problems have beleaguered Leggy leading to a series of delays at Legiron Books. Even the Halloween anthology is late this year due to the backlog that has resulted. That should be out imminently and then we will get ‘Recovery’ out there. I’m not sure just how many books he has in the backlog, but he has been forced to cancel Christmas this year.
In the meantime, my second pirate story ‘Rose’ has been an idea that came to me following feedback about the antagonist in ‘Renegade.’ It’s been slow going, but that’s not unusual for me. I am not an organised writer. An idea occurs to me and it can gestate for months before I write a word. Then, when I start, I will write dribs and drabs over several weeks or months. I have never worried about writer’s block because if I don’t feel like writing, I just don’t, until the mood comes upon me again. It’s not as if I need to earn a living doing this. It’s just a bit of mild amusement.
At some point, the muse strikes and I am away. That happened this week and ‘Rose’ is now rapidly taking shape. These are the times when I wake up in the early hours with whole paragraphs and scenes racing around my head, when I can spend a day at the computer, because I just have to get it down.
I said above, that I am not an organised writer. I don’t have all my plot and characters mapped out. I have a starting point, an ending point and a few signposts along the way to help the journey. As the story progresses, new scenes and ideas occur and sometimes new characters, as happened yesterday and overnight. I am in the middle of that process now. In the last few days, 10,000 words just flowed through the keyboard so only another 70 to 80,000 to go then.
At this rate, ‘Rose’ will be ready for editing at the turn of the year with, I hope, a publication time of spring or summer next year depending on that backlog. This one is a little different to my usual stories in that it is darker – after all, Rose was one of the villains in ‘Renegade.’ As this is a story about vengeance, it gets a bit gruesome as the story progresses. Writing an antihero is a different experience for me, but it’s fun doing it, not least, because those who come to a sticky end deserve what’s coming to them.
Then what? Well, I already have vague ideas for another Pascale Hervé story, wandering about my head and I still haven’t made progress with that American Civil War story.
Congratulations, or whatever the appropriate word is, on the return of the Muse, especially in a political climate hardly conducive to creativity – although, thinking about it, perhaps adversity makes a revenge narrative more appealing and accessible; do hard times produce powerful fiction as well as strong men?
(Also, looking forward very much to Pascale Hervé’s next outing!)
I have to say, I do have some juicy sticky ends for some folk that have a hint of projection about them…
Contact Leggy and tell him to get his finger out…