So ... what's everyone working on?

[Carol Rose]

I haven't been able to spend much time here lately, so I thought I'd take a moment or two to catch up!

Welcome to all the new members! I hope you're finding your way around, and that you're enjoying your time here.

What's everyone working on? Let's share our latest and greatest.

I'm working on a shifter book. For those of you who don't know what I mean by that, a very popular sub-genre of romance involves romantic entanglements between shape-shifters (wolves, big cats, bears, and even some other mammals), and either other shifters, or humans.

This is a big cat shifter series which will focus mainly on families of lynx shifters. They have vampire blood in their DNA from an incident that happened a thousand years ago (and is told briefly in a prologue that will be the same in each book in the series), and because of that, they have enhanced powers during a blood moon. I'm going to have a mixture of heroines as lynx, other big cats (jaguars, leopards, or cougars) and humans.

The series is tentatively called Blood Moon Lynx, and this first book is titled The Alpha's Taboo Mate. The hero and heroine are both lynx shifters, but a leopard shifter - the anti-hero of this story - has made a big deal out of wanting her as his mate, too. His reasons aren't based on the mating mythology pretty much set in stone for shifter romances, but rather they are to further his own agenda. The hero is a lynx shifter who has believed the heroine is his mate since he was old enough to understand what that meant, and takes matters into his own hands before the anti-hero can make good on his claim. What follows is the unraveling of the entire story, and plenty of questions as to whose mate the heroine actually is.

So... your turn! What are you working on? Tell us about it!

 

[Marc Joan]

I am always amazed by your creativity/productivity. How you can work full-time and churn out so much is beyond me.

I am struggling with a short story that insists it wants to be a novelette or maybe a novella, and it's getting its way. It's set in Geneva, but other than that I don't want to say too much about it in a public forum. It's painful work, but I think the lessons I am now learning will be v. helpful when I finally come to write a novel. I am finding that long-form fiction needs different skills from the short story; some of them are the same, of course, but some of them are different. All very interesting.

 

[Carol Rose]

I am always amazed by your creativity/productivity. How you can work full-time and churn out so much is beyond me.

I am struggling with a short story that insists it wants to be a novelette or maybe a novella, and it's getting its way. It's set in Geneva, but other than that I don't want to say too much about it in a public forum. It's painful work, but I think the lessons I am now learning will be v. helpful when I finally come to write a novel. I am finding that the novel needs different skills from the short story; some of them are the same, of course, but some of them are different. All very interesting.

Thanks for your kind words! I admire your work so much.

I agree that the skill sets are different for writing a short story versus a novel. I find it almost impossible to bring a story arc to a conclusion in less than 30K.

 

[Bluma Bezbroda]

Well how odd- I'm working on a novel that really wants to be a short story

Other than that, I'm plotting and writing down pieces of my real baby. Its a story of a girl that escapes opressive environment by creating an imaginary world, but is taken hostage, so to speak, by her own fantasies.

 

[Geoff]

I could say my WIP appears is in the shifter mode. One day it is a cherished novel, the next it has become an abandoned pile of junk. Two days later it is the puerile meanderings of an idiot, then it rises and becomes almost Shakespearian, after-which it varies between being a loved child, a stroppy teenager and a finally the latest novel recruited by the shush pile army...

 

[Paul Whybrow]

I'm 5,000 words into my third novel, part of a series featuring a Cornish detective. Although I originally intended to pen a literary novel on modern relationships back in 2013, I took the advice that crime stories sell better than highfalutin work, so went into the murky world of serial killers, smugglers with a penchant for BDSM and poisoners.

My first novel was double the length that a debut by an unknown author should be, so I got nowhere with querying literary agents. I wrote a prequel to it, keeping to the recommended 80,000 word count, which I should really try tout around agents and publishers with open submission windows. That is a disheartening chore, as many of you know. For the moment I've chosen to get on with the third episode of my sleuth's investigations, partly in the hope that if I do ever interest a publishing world person of significance they'll be impressed by my output. I read some pundit's advice that it's better to have several stories already written of a series, than to just query with the opening novel.

By coincidence, my new psychological thriller features a big cat—the legendary Beast of Bodmin Moor. This mythical beast is good for tourism, and stands more of a chance of actually existing as the Dangerous Wild Animals Act of 1976, which forbade private ownership of mountain lions and lynxes, prompted some owners to release their pets into the wild. My new story contains a supernatural element, so a prowling panther will fit in nicely.

 

[Nicole Wilson]

Carol, I'm not surprised you haven't been on. You're always churning out new books!! I'm so impressed Good luck with the new series--I hope it goes well for you, even if it's not your favorite to write.

I just started querying my second book, so that's exciting--and terrifying, but mostly exciting. My third is currently going between hubby and me for edits. Hopefully in the next couple months, it'll be ready for beta readers to take a look at. And I'm starting my fourth! I finished all of the research and just finished the general outline last night. I should be able to start building the scenes out this week, and in a month or so, I'll be writing again. Yay! This book will actually be different than my previous ones because I came up with the idea for the characters before the plot, so I think this one will be more character-driven than plot-driven, which my other thrillers have been. So this will be a challenge.

 

[Robinne Weiss]

I'm about half way through my third book--a MG fantasy set in modern day New Zealand in which dragons turn out to be real, and much adventure ensues (in a very MG way...). Having a good time taking a break from what was supposed to be my third novel (that one is 75% done), and traveling around some of my favourite places with my characters.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

Always productive Carol. I'm on my tenth novel, actually part of my first (Ceridwen) series, and about half way to two thirds done. This time, clues from her childhood surface, to save her life from a rather clever and determined demon and his red dragon. Seems she has no place to hide until she can solve the puzzle, then work out how to defeat her enemy. Up to, a Monk freezes time to give her a chance, after Avalon prevents her going there with the cauldron of Cerridwen, also known as 'The Grail.' No idea how this is going to work out yet!

 

[James Marinero]

I am always amazed by your creativity/productivity. How you can work full-time and churn out so much is beyond me.

I am finding that long-form fiction needs different skills from the short story; some of them are the same, of course, but some of them are different. All very interesting.

I started writing novels then a couple of stories came along, not long enough for a novella and I found the challenge quite different. One I'm honing down to 2,000 words for a competition, and the other I'm trying to turn in to a radio play - challenge as much of the action takes place in the MC's mind...

Apart from that I'm just finishing a thriller ready, on the shelves (ha!) in September.

And Carol, thanks for the post - it's always helpful to stand back and consider what one is trying to write without the interventions of regular life - like 1000 miles of single handed sailing in the next six weeks.

 

[KG Christopher]

I haven't written anything creative for over a month. We are in the middle of a house move, sorting children out for new schools from September, offering advice to friends and family about child rearing, looking after our daughters pet dog as she has a 'well earned break'. I am in the process of trying to get my writer website (I believe author is only applicable if I have something published) sorted. Probably in June, after the move I will look at querying for agents. my website is WIP at the moment www.kgchristopher.com.

Carol, you breath in ideas and exhale books, a legend in your own lunchtime.

 

[Carol Rose]

I'm about half way through my third book--a MG fantasy set in modern day New Zealand in which dragons turn out to be real, and much adventure ensues (in a very MG way...). Having a good time taking a break from what was supposed to be my third novel (that one is 75% done), and traveling around some of my favourite places with my characters.

That sounds really awesome!!

 

[Alistair Roberts]

That's one heck of a "lunchtime"!

 

[Matnov]

About 20,000 words into a first draft of a crime novel. Wanted to do one for ages and am rather enjoying the process. My main character is a Detective Sargent who has his own Professional standards department all over him for a multi-million pound robbery of a drug dealer, which he was involved with, and a subsequent murder, which he was not. Had him transferred from his familiar home territory of West London to the mean streets of Croydon where he is embroiled in a cold case murder investigation of an ex-squaddie who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan but ended up homeless on the streets of London. Rather liking this as perhaps a possible series which will enable me to explore all sorts of sides of the city I love so much, along with having a character driven by some serious demons but with chances of redeeming himself against a background of knowing that there are millions waiting to be claimed in a foreign bank account if only he can work out how.

 

[Carol Rose]

About 20,000 words into a first draft of a crime novel. Wanted to do one for ages and am rather enjoying the process. My main character is a Detective Sargent who has his own Professional standards department all over him for a multi-million pound robbery of a drug dealer, which he was involved with, and a subsequent murder, which he was not. Had him transferred from his familiar home territory of West London to the mean streets of Croydon where he is embroiled in a cold case murder investigation of an ex-squaddie who served in both Iraq and Afghanistan but ended up homeless on the streets of London. Rather liking this as perhaps a possible series which will enable me to explore all sorts of sides of the city I love so much, along with having a character driven by some serious demons but with chances of redeeming himself against a background of knowing that there are millions waiting to be claimed in a foreign bank account if only he can work out how.

That sounds really interesting!!

 

[Chase Gamwell]

Kudos to everyone for churning out lots of interesting stuff! And thanks for setting up this thread Carol - it's nice to share what's going on (and a great way to catch up).

As for me, I just finished my space opera titled Infinity's Heir. It's about a King who gets unseated and has to put the pieces of his kingdom back together again. Lots of fantasy and scifi elements here with religious subtext (Norse mythology). I'm currently editing the piece and plan on posting the first three chapters to the houses to see if they work.

Besides that, I'm working on a cyberpunk thriller called Missing Parts. In the near future, cybernetics are possible, but tightly controlled. The MC, a detective in Rotterdam, starts solving murders where victims have had artificial limbs removed. The investigation leads down a rabbit hole of conspiracy and murder. Really excited about this one!

Keep up the good work everyone! And congrats to Carol for being ridiculously productive!

 

[Boopadoo]

Seriously Carol, what a long way you've come in a relatively short time - I still vividly remember the "write outside your comfort zone" threads and the "many-authored story" that played a part in inspiring you toward the paranormal romance genre(s) in the first place... ...it doesn't seem so long ago...

I'm still a single chapter away from finishing Paige 99, my long-suffering, near-future sci-fi thriller novel thingee... ...weird thing I'm discovering because I started it in 2010, is that science and world events keep resembling what I come up with more and more. My earliest reference in the book is something that "happened" 2016 (written in 2011), so a few months ago I had to go back and push my timeline from between 2020 and 2034 to 2024-2038 instead because I didn't want to get too close to writing "current events"...

For example, my helicopter pilot is a veteran of the US/Mexican Border Skirmishes of 2018-2019, which led to a complete closing of the borders, something I also dreamed up in 2011... ...now in 2016, it's scarily close to possible...

In my world, the debt-ruined US government was "rescued" by a conglomerate of tech and pharmaceutical companies in 2021, called the Corporate Government Merger, and the first order of business was to dissolve regulatory agencies controlling research and development. That's how my scientists get away with reproducing alien DNA that turns out to be a near world-ending virus, and then get away with using human cloning to combat it. Not so far fetched as it was five years ago, when I started...

 

[Carol Rose]

Seriously Carol, what a long way you've come in a relatively short time - I still vividly remember the "write outside your comfort zone" threads and the "many-authored story" that played a part in inspiring you toward the paranormal romance genre(s) in the first place... ...it doesn't seem so long ago...

It's not that long ago in the grand scheme of things. Six years ago on the "old" Litopia is when Emma posted the challenge thread and gave me erotic horror to write. That led directly to The Last Soul, my first publication with Evernight. I've actually always been drawn to paranormal romance, but not shifters. I wanted to write about ghosts and time travel. Things that (still) don't sell well in the romance world.

 

[Carol Rose]

The shifter story is actually going better, folks! My hero and heroine have grown more comfortable with me, and over the weekend they revealed the heroes/heroines, plus the basic story lines, for books #2 and #3 of this series. Kind of them, no? LOL!!

 

[Sea-shore]

Well done to Carol! Good luck for books #2 and 3!

I am in sight of the end of the first book of my YA martial arts adventure trilogy. It's all planned out (I'm a planner) but just got to get it written and typed up.

Keep going all my fellow Litopians! We'll get there some day…! Where ever 'there' is. I hope!

 

[Robinne Weiss]

The shifter story is actually going better, folks! My hero and heroine have grown more comfortable with me, and over the weekend they revealed the heroes/heroines, plus the basic story lines, for books #2 and #3 of this series. Kind of them, no? LOL!!

Funny you should mention your characters in that way. I was trying to explain to my family how a character popped into my current WIP with a completely different personality than I expected her to have, and she's just twisted everything around (in a very good way). They thought I was nuts. "Isn't it YOU who's writing the character?" Hard to explain how characters take on a life of their own and sometimes do things we don't expect.

 

[Madeleine Conway]

I'm in pre-writing phase. I'm collecting ideas, songs, images, plot-lines, character development. This morning, I was out walking when I heard a Hozier song and boom, a key scene came to me. I've got an opening scene playing in my head, I've now got a scene from somewhere near the end, I've got some interweaving fantasy scenes, I have no idea how any of it will fit together or whether it will work. But I really like this bit when I have lots of voices in my head, I'm world building and playing with concepts, ideas, influences, allusions, research...it's all bubbling away. I do have a structure, but there is a lot to pack in and I have a couple of alternative endings lining up. I'm in the middle of exam marking, which should finish in about three-four weeks, and I'm also busy applying for new positions for the day-job as my current place of employment has made it clear I have no long-term future there...So there may be serious house moving later this year which is going to add a whole new layer of upheaval to this writing life. Interesting times.

 

[Alistair Roberts]

The unexpected in writing is what makes it interesting, IMHO anyway

 

[Paul Whybrow]

The unexpected in writing is what makes it interesting, IMHO anyway

As Edward Albee said: 'I write to find out what I'm talking about.'

 

[Carol Rose]

Funny you should mention your characters in that way. I was trying to explain to my family how a character popped into my current WIP with a completely different personality than I expected her to have, and she's just twisted everything around (in a very good way). They thought I was nuts. "Isn't it YOU who's writing the character?" Hard to explain how characters take on a life of their own and sometimes do things we don't expect.

Yes!! Only writers understand this.

 

[Katie-Ellen]

I am re-doing a synopsis, in which I tear my hair out, while finding out what I've written. Like recipe-writing in reverse.

 

[echo.]

I'm massively excited to have NEARLY FINISHED THE FINAL EDIT of my tragicomic lit-fic baby that I started as a casual time-killer five years ago. Just a Hagrid-sized spell-check to endure before it goes off to the long-suffering beta-readers for a last time and then out into the world. I'm not sure I've enjoyed the experience at all but by God it's gonna happen again. I'm occupying myself in the interim with a funner project about private detectives and ghosts. Bugger real life. I like ghosts.

 

[do do Ron Ron]

I am re-doing a synopsis, in which I tear my hair out, while finding out what I've written. Like recipe-writing in reverse.

synopsis hell! I feel for you....re-written mine several times and no nearer to liking it than when I started!

 

[do do Ron Ron]

About to finish the second 'episode' of a six part (very dark) comedy script. Sent the first to BBC Writers Room...waiting on response.

 

[do do Ron Ron]

Well how odd- I'm working on a novel that really wants to be a short story

Other than that, I'm plotting and writing down pieces of my real baby. Its a story of a girl that escapes opressive environment by creating an imaginary world, but is taken hostage, so to speak, by her own fantasies.

...Now that sounds interesting.