Hey, readers. I haven’t written a WIP Wednesday post in a while, mainly because there was little to share. This week, I’m happy to report I’ve made progress.
Twelve of the thirteen short stories for my upcoming collection are written. All would have been done, but I didn’t like how I’d done the thirteenth story, so I all but scrapped what I’d written and started over. The words are flowing much better now.
Three stories have been edited and critiqued, and I’m working on the other ones now. As much as I wanted to publish this year, I’ve decided to wait until January. I didn’t want to rush through the edits. Not to mention there’s a lot of work to do in addition to writing and editing. Blog tour posts, promotional materials, and formatting just to name a few.
The book cover is done, and I’ll have a title and cover reveal post in a few weeks. Yes, it finally has another title other than A Book of Shorts. In the meantime, here’s a sneak peek:
In other writing news, I’m ready to begin the second book of my Legends of Madeira series. It’s been a long time in coming, but I would like to release Blood Red Dawn sometime in the first half of 2023. I’m also planning books three and four, and I might have an additional short story.
As many of you know, music often inspires my stories. While I already had the idea for Blood Red Dawn, the song “Some Velvet Morning” inspired the name of a character. I changed the spelling from Phaedra (as it is in the song) to Faydra, but she will be one of my historical characters.
Connor Hughes and Abbey Lane, minor characters in Cold Dark Night will take the lead in the upcoming novel. Somehow I think this song fits them. A character from House of Sorrow was named Lee Hazleton. I got that idea from the name of the singer/songwriter of “Some Velvet Morning.”
That wraps it up for now. In the meantime, I hope enjoy the video and the song.
32 Responses
Congratulations on your progress, Joan.
Thank you, Pete!
Cheering you on!
Thank you so much, Annette!
Love the cover, Joan!
Thanks, Jill!
I have a theory that retirement is really going to help your word count. Wishing you all the best.
Thanks, Craig. I’m hoping it does just that.
Thank you for the update, Joan! You’re making great progress. I just watched the video. I can see how it would inspire a story, very evocative.
I pulled that song from a long time ago, but I still like it. My progress has been slow this year, but now I’m beginning to make strides. Still settling into my new routine.
Thanks for stopping by today, Liz.
You’re welcome, Joan.
I love the title “Some Velvet Morning”! So evocative. Happy writing, Joan, and best of luck. Hugs 💕🙂
Thanks so much, Harmony!
Congratulations! This looks great!
Thank you so much!
So glad you are finally making progress! Super happy for you. Retirement suits you, Joan.
I’m looking forward to the cover reveal. Happy writing and editing!
Thanks, Priscilla. I’ll post in a few weeks.
Great progress, Joan. Congratulations.
Thanks so much, John!
😊
How wonderful you are making progress, Joan! I know it’s been a long time coming. Retirement is good for writers. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
I highly recommend it, Jan!
Yay, Joan! Happy to hear things are moving along so well xo
Slower than I anticipated, but I’m getting there. Thanks, Denise.
It was great to get an update on your writing. You’re busy, Joan! Wow. I can only do one thing at a time and you have multiple projects in the works. Thanks for the music. It’s easy to see why it inspired you. Happy Writing!
I can’t do two novels at once, but I can jiggle between a short story and a novel if needed. I prefer to concentrate on one project at a time.
🙂
Congratulations on your writing progress, Joan. I look forward to reading your short stories in January. 🎉
Thanks so much, Gwen. Like most of my projects, this one has been a long time in coming.
It appears that retirement suits you. Glad you are finally getting to write again.
Thanks, Michele. The last year was hard writing-wise, but my mojo is coming back.