Hey everyone. Can I cheat a little this week? This is neither a work in publication or a work in progress (unless you count my character sketches and outline).

I am taking the plunge and participating in this yearā€™s NaNoWriMo. In case you donā€™t know, November is National Novel Writing Month. The goal (or challenge) is to write 50K new words on a novel.

I did it once before when I wrote Unseen Motives. Thanks to Mae Clair, Iā€™ve decided to do it again. Several writers I know are also participating, and weā€™re buddying up so that we can encourage one another.

So, what am I writing? Cold Dark Night is the first book of my brand-new Legends of Madeira series. Once again, there will be mystery, suspense, and a little romance. But Iā€™ll also incorporate legends and folklore into the story.

For the setting, Iā€™m moving from the Lone Star State to the Land of Enchantment. Madeira is a fictitious town in New Mexico. Believe me, there are lots of legends in this place. Youā€™ll see a couple of familiar characters from the last Driscoll Lake novel and meet new ones.

Want to know more?


New husband, new house, new townā€¦ and a new mystery to solve.

Tami Montgomery thought her police chief husband was going to be the only investigator in the family when she gave up her journalism career and moved with him to Madeira, New Mexico.

But after the historical society asks her to write stories for a book celebrating the townā€™s sesquicentennial, she finds herself embroiled in a new mystery. And if she canā€™t solve this one, she could lose everything. Her research uncovers a spate of untimely deaths of local law enforcement officials. Further digging reveals a common linkā€”they all lived in the house she and Jason now occupy.

Tami isnā€™t a superstitious person, yet she canā€™t help but wonder if the house is cursed. Then she unearths an even more disturbing pattern. And if history repeats itself, her husband will be the next to die.

To say Iā€™m getting excited about this new endeavor would be an understatement. It will be a busy month, and even though I’m taking a few vacation days, I’ll need to concentrate solely on my WIP.

Toward that end, I have decided to take the month of November off from blogging. I had a few posts already written and scheduled, but will post those in December.

I probably won’t have time to visit and comment on other blogs. I’ll miss you all but I hope you’ll understand.

The race begins in two days. Wish me luck! If you’re participating and would like to buddy up, my user name is joan58. Let’s encourage one another.

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17 Responses

  1. Woohoo! (er, Woogoo, LOL!). I’m so excited about this new project of yours. That blurb rocks, and you know how much I love Jason. He and Tami are going to make great leads in Cold Dark Night.

    Wishing you tons of success with NaNo, Joan. I’ve got my fingers crossed I can pull off my project, too!

  2. Things may be a little quiet on the blogging front for the month of November. I too have taken the challenge and have a post scheduled tomorrow about my new WIP. I hope you have time to stop by and take a look. I have accepted you as a NaNo buddy. You are right about November being a busy month and then there’s the Thanksgiving holiday thrown in. But, we can do this!! Love the new storyline, Joan, and the New Mexico town!

    • I canā€™t wait to read about your project. We will encourage one another! Iā€™ve been so far behind in visiting since last weekā€™s something wicked tour. ā€œSeeā€ you tomorrow.

  3. Good luck. I was almost inspired by Mae to do it this year. If something hits me in the next day or two I still might. Theaes power outages have been distracting. Happy Halloween.

  4. Taking the month of November off from blogging sounds like a stellar plan! I wish you well on NaNoWriMo, and I hope to try it myself one of these days. This just wasn’t my year to even toy with the idea. Good luck, Joan!

    • I did it several years ago without a plan. This time, I have one, so I hope the writing goes smoothly. I thought of continuing to blog, but I can’t keep up with both and work full time.

      I know what you mean about not being your year. It was that way for me last year.

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