All Good Things

This feels like a waiting time. Bleeding Darkness comes out in a few months and it's time to get some publicity lined up. It's also a period of waiting for the first reviews, particularly from media. It's still a bit early to do much promoting of the Ottawa book launch, happening June 3rd although I've been getting enquiries. Here is the invitation - yes, everyone is welcome!

I spent this week going through the edits for Killer Heat, the next Anna Sweet novella. My editor Pam is incredibly thorough and combs the text from an adult literacy - student viewpoint. Not only does the language have to be concrete without too many syllables, but every action has to be logical without some of the inferences that more advanced readers make. Add to this, the fact that this is book seven in a series, but a reader should be able to pick it up and understand everything about the characters without having read any of the other books. No small challenge. So, I returned the manuscript with my revisions to Pam on Thursday and await its return for the next round of edits.

After the editing, I got back to working on my income taxes. Man, I hate paperwork but it always feels good to get it done. Writers can claim expenses for anything writing-related, such as trips to conferences or events not paid for by publishers and membership fees to writing organizations. This means keeping and organizing receipts - not unlike the paperwork required for any small business. Every year, I promise myself I'll stay on top of recording my expenses, but it's always easy to set it aside for that rainy day that never seems to come. I was a bit better this past year, but still had a few days' work left to do. Almost there ...

Which leaves me free to get back to the Stonechild manuscript this weekend. I was almost ready to scrap what I've written so far and start over, but I'm going to give it a bit more rope. It still feels as if the plot isn't nailed down - this one is coming more slowly than any of the others and maybe it's because this is the last book in the series. I've also moved the setting and have to do more research. Anyhow, the key is keeping at it and hoping that things start coming together ... soon.

And back to the waiting. No Trace is shortlisted for the Golden Oak and the winner is announced next month. This year's Arthur Ellis award shortlists will be announced in April and I have a novel (Shallow End) and novella (Missing Her) both in the running. One last big waiting, potentially good thing - the Stonechild books have been optioned for a possible tv series by an L.A. screenwriter and he says he'll be pitching them soon to networks. While I know this is a long shot, still exciting to even consider the possibility.

Not to mention, we're all waiting for spring to arrive. I'm not going to miss that layer of snow and ice on the car every morning or the snow/slush on the roads. Soon, we'll be back in the garden and sitting in the backyard with a cup of tea and a book.

Just a bit more waiting ...