Updates from the Coffee Shop

My Writing Journey

I wish I could say I spend a lot of time on the weekends with this view. I do miss St. Ives in Cornwall and the fabulous cream tea at the Tate St. Ives. I’ll be back in the UK in September, but, sadly, won’t have time to get to St. Ives.

My favorite local writing spot is a coffee shop just a couple of blocks from where I used to work.

My go-to drink is the cafe latte, no flavor – usually hot, but sometimes iced. It was definitely a lot more iced during last summer’s miserably hot weather, but there is nothing like warming your hands round a mug of hot coffee at this time of year.

So… on to the writing update

Genre, genre – you know me, bouncing from Sci Fi to Contemporary to Historical with regular abandon. It would make a lot more sense to stick to one, but here I am – finally – back to my sci fi roots with a story I shelved, incomplete, back in 1998. Real life – work, career, and family – intervened, and then I got sidetracked by a contemporary tale, and a medieval short story that turned into three novels.

I’d love to think that now that I’ve retired from the day job (as of January 3), I might publish a new novel once a year. But don’t hold your breath.

So here’s a re-cap of what I’m working on now…

Sci Fi/Space Opera

Echoes of the Storm 
I wrote THE END on the 2nd draft of Echoes about 10 days ago. My writers group has been giving me feedback on chapters for what seems like ages, but I am down to reading the last 5 chapters to them now. I’m sure I’ll be making additional tweaks in the next couple of months.

The 2nd draft chapters are being posted on Wattpad each week. Chapters 1-17 are available and you can read along there: https://my.w.tt/9LKGAYH3S1. There’s cover reveal in the near future. (And if you look at Wattpad, you’ll see an early version of it.)

Join the street team!
I am recruiting readers who want to be part of the excitement and build-up to the publication of Echoes. These advanced readers will receive a copy of the ebook to review, and a signed copy of the paperwork, which I hope to publish the novel by mid-summer 2020. Interested? Sign up for my Newsletter and watch for the call.

Historical Fiction

A Boy’s Life (Passages)
A rough draft of this Allan a Dale short story is done! It is a prequel to Men of the Cross, so you don’t need any knowledge of my Battle Scars novels.

Next steps: 1) get feedback from my writers group (done!); 2) revise (soon!); 3) find a cover artist; 4) send to beta readers; 5) revise again; 6) send as a freebie to my Newsletter subscribers.

This will be the third short story (all stand-alones) that I have offered to Newsletter folks. Click on the Newsletter link at the top of the page and sign up. At some point, I’ll probably create an anthology and sell the Passages series stories, but for now, they are Newsletter exclusives.

Robin Hood (working title)
If you’ve followed the Battle Scars series, you’ll know I introduced a knight named Robin (who happens to be a great archer) and two young teenagers named Allan & Little John in Book I. You meet Much Miller, Tuck, and Will Scaflock in Book II.

I used those novels and Book III to create an origins story for the book that I am tentatively calling Robin Hood because I have NO idea what the title will be. The novel isn’t a sequel to Battle Scars. Sure, knowing all the backstory might be nice, but this tale will stand alone. It jumps 15-16 years after Swords of the King (Book III), taking place near the end of King John’s reign. I have my research notes and have been working out a mini outline with plot arcs for the main characters, and I’ve even have the bare bones of a few scenes written. I’ll be diving into the writing this summer. 

Welcome to my worlds.


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