What a difference a year makes

It's amazing how time gets away when you're distracted. Just after my last post (15/9/18) a member of my family was in a serious accident. We're very lucky in that he's breathing and walking--two things that were at risk at the time--but it meant my writing and everything associated with it was put on hold. It's taken me this long to come back.

So, where am I up to now?

Dragon God: the sequel to Warrior Pledge is edited and ready to roll and I'm just starting the process toward self-publishing that title. It was finished last year but put on hold, along with everything else. I'll advertise a release date once I work out how the whole self-pub thing works.

In Another Life: the contract with Escape Publishing ran its course and I have my rights back for this title. I've been preparing it for self-publishing as well. I just need to find the perfect cover for it. I know exactly what I want, it's just a matter of deciding if it's viable or if I need to find something else. 

New stories:

1. I have a vintage romance novella completed and currently being edited. It's set in Ipswich (QLD, Aus) in 1931 in the midst of a diphtheria break-out and explores the difficulties and inevitability of re-imagining the family in the face of loss and societal and legal restrictions. Working title is Morrison and Mackenzie. 
2. I'm also working on a novella as part of an anthology with a couple of other authors. It's been both a fun activity and a steep learning curve. Trying to make all the stories fit together while remaining autonomous has been a challenge. First draft is done and we're going through all the joint scenes to make sure there are no clashes. Working title for this story is The Satin Bowerbird. 
3. I've begun a murder mystery novella. It was going to be a short story but it took me 3800 words to introduce the main characters, the victim and the suspects. I still have no dead body. And I have twelve characters on the first page, so it needs major editing already, before I can move forward. I've called it The Spotted Dog and am working on it between editing runs of the others. 

Something new:
I've decided to take up painting and am going to design a cover for The Satin Bowerbird anthology, Tangled up in Blue. We'll see if it's successful.

The picture:
I took the picture at the Carnival of Flowers in Toowoomba, QLD last weekend. It's a festival that's held every spring and we try to get up there for it if we can. I'm thinking I'd like to paint this one. 

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