Whew. It’s been a few weeks since I’ve posted on my own author’s page. I guess I’m one of those writers who tends to not be as active in social media. I can’t help it. I’d rather spend that time on my craft.

I’ve been working my tail off, non-stop. I’m 50,000 words into The Prairie’s Lament and hope to have the first draft complete by late April. I also just started editing the novel I finished six weeks ago. So I’m doing around 1800 words a day on Prairie’s Lament, and editing another novel afterwards. I’m not sure how I feel about this to be honest. A novel is not something you can go half-in on, whether editing or conjuring up a first draft. I’ve found that editing the previous novel in bite-sized portions works better. We’ll see if it holds up, but it the editing interferes with the creative process of Lament, I’ll set it aside.

So how do I feel about the two new novels? Great. My best work yet, although they are entirely different. I’d like to get the unnamed novel to my agent as soon as possible, but not at the expense of the first draft of Lament.

I also happen to write short stories from time to time, and one of those is appearing in the April 2012 issue of Bards and Sages Quarterly. “Street Lamps and Carbaryl” is a literary sort of thing that plays on suburban sprawl. I’ll post a link and an excerpt as soon as it’s available.

I’d like to say once I finish the first draft of Lament that I’m taking a break. But other ideas are brewing, like roiling storm clouds over a distant mountain range. Stories often choose you.

Alright, I’ll say it. Something Wicked is my favorite magazine. And I’m not just saying that because they published one of my stories. There’s a sense of adventure and looseness to the pieces which I find refreshing. And of course many of the stories contain science fiction and horror elements.

They’ve also just produced a list of stories eligible for the Hugo awards. “The Watcher in the Corner” is among them:

Something Wicked Hugos

Pretty cool. If you haven’t done so, be sure to give those stores a read. They’re excellent.

I’ve also just started a new novel. 10k in. Didn’t I just finish a first draft, you’re asking? Why yes, I did. But the ideas are rolling, and when they roll, you better sit your ass down and write them (or in this case type, I guess). The novel is called “The Prairie’s Lament” and takes place in Montana in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains.

The cover art for Sparks has been released. Pretty cool:

The release date is February 14th, so grab a copy on Amazon if so inclined. My story is “Big, Blue Steel”, and offers a different twist on shape-shifting. The setting is downtown Chicago.

In other “news”, my new novel is just about finished. I’m sitting at 84,000 words with a wrap up date by next Thursday. I tend to write a hell of a lot more per day toward the end of the first draft. Usually I start with 1200 words per day, and at the 60,000 mark tend to ratchet that up to 2000 per day. The key is to not miss days (or one at the most). If I do, I get all discombobulated.

Whew, working hard on the latest novel. I started December 1st, and I’m happily 53,000 words into a projected 85,000. I’m expecting a first draft finish date by February 15th or sooner. After that, the novel gets stuffed into a virtual drawer for several weeks.

I’m thrilled with the characters in this one. I decided to try something different and have multiple main characters, and it’s working fine. I’m looking forward to reader feedback on several key points. Did I go too far? Did I not go far enough? We’ll see.

INVASIVE is being shopped by my agent. Crazy ass book. 😉

I’ve got a few stories out in the short story market, but those are always a crapshoot. With such a heavy focus on novels, I’m pleased with my two most recent short acceptances–a good start to the new year.

I captured this photo of Mt. Shasta in August of 2010. It’s not really an artistic photo. What it does show is the absolute spectacular nature of this mountain. For Illinois flatlanders like me, this is a shock to the system. To give you an idea of the vertical relief, the highway sits at 3,000 feet. Mt. Shasta rises to 14,197. That’s a valley/peak differential of 11,000 feet. That’s rare air in the lower 48. This was one of the first sights I encountered as I drove from Oregon to Northern California. Needless to say California blew me away. So much so I’m considering relocating.