Is it August already?

I’m leaving tomorrow for a few weeks across the Badlands and Northern Rockies (Montana for the most part). I’ll be visiting places such as Glacier National Park, The Gallatin National Forest, the Flathead National Forest, and the Bitterroot National Forest. It is these wild public lands which are the inspiration for many of my stories. My novel INVASIVE also takes place in Montana. Speaking of INVASIVE, revisions are going well and I couldn’t be happier with my agent (Laura Wood). It’s rewarding to have thoughtful and productive conversations about your work with a professional. Laura really knows her stuff.

The “other” novel is with my first reader and so far, so good. It also takes place in a remote area, although this time the location is the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in a windswept orchard surrounded by millions of acres of boreal forest. I don’t want to give too much away because the concept is pretty damn cool. Once it’s polished I’ll spill a bit on it. The next draft is the fifth and I hope to have a sixth and final draft soon. There’s a bit of chopping to do, but much like the ravaged U.P. forests, it was always inevitable.

Novel # 3 is simmering in the back of my mind, but I won’t start it until these other projects clear. Too much crossover or contamination in thoughts and energy.

I’ll see if I can post a photo or two from the trip, but these are remote areas with poor internet access. And in a way, that’s a very good thing for writers. It’s about the story, and Twitter/Facebook/Forums won’t get it done.

The road is calling me back to wilder things–things that don’t require you to “sign in”. I’ll embrace it. I don’t plan to stay in a hotel for a single day. My lodging will be Forest Service and National Park campgrounds. I’m expecting around thirty days of camping. In the mix is writing, photography, and fly fishing. For many people, church is a comfortable structure with creaking pews and loafers shuffling on wooden floors. For me, it’s the last wildlands in the lower 48.

I’m thrilled to announce that I’ve signed with agent Laura Wood at FinePrint Literary in New York City.

It’s a great fit and the plan for the novel is fantastic. We’ve changed the working title from ECO MORPH to INVASIVE.

However, the work has just begun. I need to go through a revision and then Ms. Wood will submit the book to publishers as soon as it’s as strong as it can be.

This is a huge opportunity and I’m grateful for it. I worked my tail off on INVASIVE and I’m looking forward to the rest of this process. But for now, I need to head back into the Apex Valley, where Bishop and Angela are realizing things are not as they should be….

I’m not sure I want to say much of anything before the contract is complete, so I’ll just say this for the time being:

Top agent, top agency.

🙂

More to come.

It’s been a crazy few weeks. The editing of Novel # 1 is taking much longer than expected, but I’m ok with it. The priority is the end result. The novel should be in my kind beta’s hands by July 15th. Novel # 2 continues to garner interest from agents so we’ll see how things shape up over the summer. I should probably stop referring to it as “Novel # 2” since it does have a name. It’s called ECO MORPH, and it’s about an apocalyptic event as seen from several different characters in a remote section of Montana. It’s not a horror novel. The best description is “dark suspense” with a dash of science fiction.

I’ve also finished three new short stories (just under 5,000 words each) over the last month. The new stories mark a turning point for me as I move entirely into novels.

The seed for Novel # 3 is planted, and will begin once Novel # 1 is as polished and shiny as can be.

The June issue of Ghostlight Magazine should be out any day now and with it my story “The Red Aspen”. I’ll post links as soon as it’s available.

Readers have asked for a list of my stories coming out this year, so here you go:

Shiners in Dead Bait 2 – out at Amazon and Barnes and Noble
Revenge on Apex Mountain in Fearology 2 – Probably Fall 2011 ( I hope )
The Red Aspen in Ghostlight Magazine – June/July 2011
The Believers in America the Horrific: Tales of Myth and Legend – Fall 2011
The Watcher in the Corner in Something Wicked Magazine – Fall 2011

Thanks for stopping by.

I’m pleased to announce that my short story “The Watcher in the Corner” will appear in the magazine Something Wicked. This is a fantastic magazine which features online content and Kindle editions. I was attracted to the magazine based on the stories, quality of the artwork, and the Amazon presence.

“The Watcher in the Corner” is a different style for me, crafted in first person. My other stories are all third person. The concept came to me while driving back from a trip to the Northern Rocky Mountains. I was somewhere south of Madison, Wisconsin and on my fifth cup of coffee on a fourteen hour stretch from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It was 1 a.m. and I took notes via my iTouch record function. The rest is for you to find out around October or November.