The Fourth Book is Coming along

I never know how a book will write itself out. I don't know how quickly I'll have ideas come along. Also, I don't know if I'll have time to write, besides the time I devote to it on the weekends and afternoons or evenings.

The second one, Vampire's Trill, took me a while to work on. I knew what I wanted to do, where it was going from nearly the beginnning, and I knew also how I wanted it to end. There's some real emotional points in this one. No one knows but me right now, how it does end.

The third book I knew what I wanted to do with it--that Sabrina would be on a new world almost during the entirety, and it would be stuck in the Victorian age. But the integral moments, what I call "OMG" moments were not easy to come by. But once I got the book past a certain point, each segment where I needed a real eye-opener, it simply came. I think I was working on the second book--my re-writes--and thus couldn't divote time and my brain power toward the third one, until I was done with the second one.

This time, with the second book with my editor, and I don't feel too much pressure, I'm going to give my writing needs the reins. The third book is done, I merely have to do re-writes and my edits on it, but I'm holding off. I've promised myself to give myself a little break and not work at a break-neck speed.

The fourth book wants to come out of me. Once I sat down and wrote scenes, another one came and more ideas flooded me. I barely had time to write the notes down, let alone the scenes. But I'm about to be on a 2 week break, and I'll be able to do a whole lot of writing during this hiatus from the bus, and getting up at 4 a.m. to get ready for work. I'll be able to work at night later, and get up later. The scenes are coming along and I'm wondering how all these characters are going to mesh and when the villain will strike. Because I've already introduced him in the third chapter.

At this point my 4th book (Crescendo), I've gotten into chapter 6. I know which way I have to point it, and I've got some clues for her to follow, and new characters to introduce, and this one is very different, from a writing perspective, as I'm writing in different POV's. This won't just be in Sabrina's first person. I'm writing from 3rd person in Tremayne's voice, and a few others that I don't identify right away. I think it will be fun and a challenge for me to write.  

Updates on Writing

Sunday I decided I would work on the 4th book and I DID! I didn't go on line until later in the morning.
I've now got 2 solid chapters finished on the fourth book. I used the notes I'd made and filled it in, using scenes and dialoug I had written from before.

I actually got 16 pages of this book done--1st draft. I feel happy about it.

Still debating the title. I know it has to change. I don't think it fits, Crescendo, any more. It's more of a Nocturn, I think. And I don't know if I need to put the word Vampire into it. I'll put the question out there and see what the consensus says.

The Idea Train Keeps on Rolling

I've already begun thinking about the next book. Yeah. #4!

At the moment the title has been chosen ahead of time and so for right now it will be called Vampire Crescendo. I've another title I might consider. I have come up with possible titles when I began this series. All are based on classical music, either the title of certain works, or simply musical dynamic directions. The only one so far that deviates from this title idea is Beyond the Black Veil, merely because it is a little different, has different characters in it than the others, and she is on another world almost throughout the entire book, and the time period is Victorian. A sort of steampunk but not quite.

Friday morning I had a scene in my head with Tremayne and Sabrina and Rick. I had to write it down best I could and also brought my little recorder to work with me and did make a number of short memos and ideas on certain scenes when I took my breaks off the bus.

A hot scene between Tremayne and Sabrina was in my head while I drove (not the best place to be thinking about such things, but I was able to drive and think about it while sitting at lights). They are in a motel room, and the two of them have an argument over Tremayne going out and biting someone for a blood meal. Words are exchanged and Tremayne says something that Sabrina takes exception to and goes to slap him. He catches her wrist. She tries to slap him with the other one. He catches that one and they both stare at one another. Suddenly, they begin kissing. The passion builds, Sabrina wants the big vampire, reaches down for his fly zipper, and then Rick walks in and interrupts them.

I snicker about this one. I think it's fun and funny at the same time.

I'm working on the tease angel in this one. Tremayne and Sabrina have only been together once and it wasn't quite the consummation that these two need. So, I thought I might address it in this book. However, the romance between them has to heat up and there is also many other things of import that need to be addressed.

I'm not ready to actually write this. I'm writing scenes as they come to me, writing notes down about what I think should happen in this. This one will be a challenge because of the content. I don't mind the challenge, but I may have to mull this over a little bit. Child abduction is a terrible, and serious crime. I had wanted Sabrina to be able to be involved in saving a little girl from the very beginning when I had ideas for this series. I feel that this might work in with everything else that is happening around her.

Basically, the story's underlying problem is: Sabrina is wanted--dead or alive--on Dark World. Demons as well as vampires are out to get her for the reward money, and Tremayne is trying to protect her and because the demons and vampires know where she lives, they wind up traveling across the Midwest--I have not decided where they might wind up as yet--and there will be some interesting encounters along the way.

Well, I think I'll go and work on my #3.

CELEBRATION!

Well, yeah. It's the 4th of July.

But I was meaning a celebration of getting a first draft done--finally!

My WIP, Beyond The Black Veil is finished as far as the first draft all the way through.

I had been working on this for several months and worried that the book would never reach anything over 200 pages.

Well, this morning at 9:00 am, I finished it at just under 96,000 words and at 259 pages. I was aiming for 96K words and 260 pages was my desired length.

I believe I deserve a pat on the back--and had ice cream with my luscious black raspberries on top. YUM!

I normally wait for a week before I work through it again, but I had to read my opening lines again, and even though I've tweaked them several times, I'm still tweaking. I actually love to tweak, can't leave well enough alone. But in my case, I'm probably improving it.

Well, happy 4th everyone! (yeah, the one or two of you who have checked this newest blog of mine out.)

Progress on my WIP and Other Updates

Yesterday I sent off the synopsis of my second book to Copperhill Media. I actually had 3 different ones. I told them they could pick and choose from all three if they liked.

At the beginning of the week I had 225 pages of Beyond the Black Veil written, and it was at 83,669 words strong. I'm currently at 237 pages, and 88,435 words. I'm guessing it will eventually be at 98,000 when I'm all finished with it. Which is a good length.

This week I was closing in on the climax of the book, and I knew writing this was going to be difficult because of how many characters were going to come together in this scene. So, I worked up individual note cards on each character--as I posted. The other day I wrote a blow by blow outline so as to keep myself focused on who does what & when. I'm currently in the midst of working on this climax, thus I'm a little busy, but I take breaks to think of dialogue. There has to be things revealed gradually here to explain things. There's about to be an action sequence that will also be difficult to hammer out and that will take me the next few days to do that. I'm very excited about it, because one of the characters from the first book will have become something else, or something more, than they had been in the previous two books. I can't even reveal what this is, or who it is, because I'd be giving away the ending of the second book.

Last night I watched an episode of Buffy where Angel kills the teacher, Miss Calendar. We've all come to like Miss. Calendar, and there was a love blossoming between Giles and her during this season. Because Angel has become so nasty and horrible and wants to drive terror into everyone around Buffy, he places Miss. Calendar's body in Gile's bed, setting the scene up to look as though she had been waiting for him.

You see what the death of a likable character does to the other characters. This is key to any good show or book. You set things up, and then you make things go bad, pit your hero against the baddest villain and you want to see her/him win--and against all odds too.

So, after watching this for the second time I asked myself do I want to take one of these likable characters in my third book and kill them off?

This is a thought provoking moment for me. I know who, but I'm questioning it as to whether it will fit in, or even have a purpose toward what I'm trying to do in this book.

Well, it's only a first draft. I don't have to decide now, and nothing is set in stone, after all.  But, when you've watched shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as a writer, you should watch them and take in the nuance of plotting that they use to pull you in, hold your attention, get you to like each character. These characters all seem real when they care about one another, you are right there with them, cry when they cry, laugh when they laugh. You want them to be okay when you leave them. I remember whenever I came to the end of each and everyone of the Harry Potter books, I wanted to join Harry and his friends. I wanted to be on that train to Hogwarts, be at the castle, etc. This is how powerful a writer J.K. Rowling is. It is what we all hope to aspire toward. Understand your characters have to be likable before anyone who picks up your book to keep flipping those pages into the wee hours of the night.

That's my thought of the week.

Monday Musings ~ Castles on the Brain

Hey, I thought I saw Harry Potter flying over the left tower . . . Oy! The last movie is coming out soon!!!!

This is Glamis Castle of Scotland. Gorgeous at night, isn't it? It's pretty old as castles go.

I've gotten into the beginning of my climax on my WIP, and further along by a few pages. So far, I've gotten Sabrina through the ball at the castle, have had her drugged, and then woke up in a bedroom with a vampire licking her foot, and then biting her at the ankle. I may post something from this later this week. Just a peek, mind you.

I've now got her creeping down a hallway that creaks as she goes--enough to wake up a vampire or two! She is still determined to find her cousin Lindee.

Oh, boy do I have some surprises in store for her!

I've got the week off. However, I'm going to be busy doing other things besides writing, blogging and taking care of the house. My passion has become my beautiful new kitchen. I'll have to get film or something to take pictures and post them. We just bought some rugs for in front of the stove and sink, plus a new waste basket. Sounds silly. New waste basket, I know, but hey, we've had the same blue one for 20+ years. Sick of that old one, needed a new one and got a nice black one, with a swinging top. Nice. Don't have to lift the top in order to put the garbage in, and the lid stays put, doesn't drop on the floor. Can't believe we never thought to buy a new one, but hey, we didn't have a spanking new kitchen before.

So, I've put this picture of this castle up on my desktop to gaze at. Since I get terribly distracted by such things, I just thought I'd put the picture into this post, and you all can snag it if you want.

Oh! I think Sabrina hears someone coming down the hall. She has to hide. . .