New Beginnings

Posted by tmycann on Apr 22nd, 2019 in indie, writing | 0 comments

The funny thing about finishing the first draft of a book is that in the immediate aftermath, it kind of feels like you’re on vacation. There are no more deadlines and you’ve finished the work that you can… at least until you get your editing letter and start digging through all the suggestions to make your story the best it can be.

So I’ve been enjoying time with hubs. We got to see “Shazam!”, which was surprisingly excellent. There was so much humor and gentleness around some tough topics (bullying, abandonment, found family) that by the time we walked out of the theater, we were both quoting key lines to each other.

And I’ve been reading. Eight books since my last blog post, according to Goodreads. I’ve gone ahead and increased my goal for the year AGAIN, because it seems I’m finding the time more regularly now that I have a library card and don’t have to worry quite so much about busting our budget on books.

I’ve also been reading about health issues. I discovered the Epworth Sleepiness Scale recently and discovered… I’m actually better slept than I thought. I don’t fall asleep during the day unless I haven’t slept the night before. On the other hand, there was a very disturbing article in The Atlantic about whether dentistry is actually a science. Recalling the dentist we had who worked on our teeth a number of years back, who pushed us toward his solution rather than what we’ve ended up having to work our way toward over time (and after switching through a couple other dentists), it was truly disconcerting to read that it’s only been in the past ten years that the ADA has started up an “evidence-based” arm of the association. Finally, on the mental health front, a long explanation of psychological research on the mental states that lead to suicide.

To balance the weight of that, then, here are eleven Persian sayings that make no sense when translated directly into English.

Aside from all of this, I’ve also been working on the revised print versions of the first two Red Slaves books. I sent my cover artist the details over the weekend, so I should be posting those updates in the next week or so.

In the meantime, my brain has been percolating on story ideas. The other night I tumbled to the perfect opening sentence for book 2 of the Planet Seekers series, so last night I finally opened up a new Word document and started writing. I still need to finish the beat sheet exercise that kept me on track with book 1, but I’m happy with where I’m starting.

And I had an idea grow out of something a friend and I have been kicking around for several years: A follow-on trilogy to Red Slaves, but set in the DC area and involving American dragons–who Anne’s related to, so she and her family might well be making an appearance again.

There are certainly more story ideas than I think I’ll be able to finish in my lifetime, so even though I’m done with the one I was working on, I’m happy to be making another new start.

(Oh. And Happy Easter to all those who celebrate it.)