Current projects, April 2011.
Pardon me for profanity, but how the fucking fuck are we already at the April list of current projects? This implies that we have somehow already consumed 1/3rd of 2011, and I, for one, am NOT OKAY with this idea. Seriously, I have Shit To Do in 2011, and not enough of it has been finished, which means that it can't be April yet. Okay? Okay. Come on, universe. Fix yourself.
...or not. Since I don't control time, welcome to the April 2011 list of current projects, because I am the gift that keeps on giving. To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the crazy urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."
Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Deadline and One Salt Sea). The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.
***
Blackout.
Formerly Deadline News. Modern political/zombie horror, near-future setting, first-person protagonist. The third (and final) book in the Newsflesh Trilogy, and the direct sequel to Deadline. Alive or dead, the truth won't rest. Rise up while you can. Status: I am currently writing Book III, and have somewhere between fifty and sixty thousand words to go. For me, this means "almost done." I have weird standards.
Midnight Blue-Light Special.
InCryptid, book two. Paranormal romance/light horror, modern setting, first-person protagonist. Verity Price is back, and she's ready to kick a lot of cryptid and human ass in her pursuit of a career in ballroom dance. If only the Covenant of St. George would leave her the hell alone... Status: chapter three is done, and I've gone back and added a new chapter one, because that's how I roll. Semi-paused due to Blackout.
Ashes of Honor.
October Daye, book six. Urban fantasy/fairy tale noir, modern setting, first-person protagonist. Since One Salt Sea didn't piss Toby off enough to make her stop speaking to me, we continue. Status: I've reached chapter three, and the world is about to experience the joy and wonder that is Toby when she hasn't had her coffee and isn't being allowed to go to bed. Semi-paused due to Blackout.
Rat-Catcher.
A pre-Toby novella focusing on Tybalt, set in London in 1662, being written for an anthology. I'm aiming for something around 10,000 words long, and I'm really having way, way too much fun with the politics and plotting that centers around the Court of Cats. Status: about a thousand words in, still researching.
Sit, Stay, I Hate You.
Coyote Girls, book two. Young adult horror/paranormal romance, modern setting, first-person protagonist. Having survived the events of Lycanthropy and Other Personal Issues, Clady would really like it if her life would settle down and get, y'know, easy for a little while. Clady is not going to be terribly happy with me, either. Status: about halfway through chapter one, semi-stalled while I work on other things.
The Nativity of Chance.
High modern fantasy ranging across the country, through the wonderful lands of Oz, and through a lot of explosions. Pythagorean philosophy meets the works of L. Frank Baum, alchemy meets modern technology, and a pair of cuckoos meet their destiny. Status: researching.
Chasing St. Margaret.
Chick-lit romance/travelogue, modern setting, first-person protagonist, diary-style. Think Bridget Jones' Diary meets Lost In Translation meets A Twelfth Night. Actually, quite literally, on the last. My dear, sweet, utterly bewildered Margery. Status: finished, rewrites have begun; I'm through the end of chapter one.
Pretty Poison Apples.
The sequel to Nativity of Chance, and that seasonal monarchs book I've been threatening to write forever. Stop looking at me like that. Status: researching.
Velveteen vs.
Again, I don't normally include short stories on this list, but I've promised six "Velveteen vs." stories in 2011, and that makes it relevant. So far, one of the six has been finished, and I'm starting to check my legal references for the second. Maybe I can get these off the long-term project list!
Sparrow Hill Road.
Urban fantasy ghost story, modern setting, first-person protagonist. I'm in the process of taking the twelve "Sparrow Hill" stories written during 2010 and turning them into a single manuscript. The thirteenth story, "Landslide," is now in process, and chronicles, among other things, how Rose and Emma met.
There are lots of other books floating around here-some finished and slated to be worked on further, others pending getting started-but these are the ones you're likely to hear the most about, at least currently. I'll update this list from time to time, as things move from "project" to "print" and new things take their places on the workshop floor.
...or not. Since I don't control time, welcome to the April 2011 list of current projects, because I am the gift that keeps on giving. To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the crazy urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."
Please note that all books currently in print are off the list, as are those that have been turned in but not yet printed (Deadline and One Salt Sea). The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.
***
Blackout.
Formerly Deadline News. Modern political/zombie horror, near-future setting, first-person protagonist. The third (and final) book in the Newsflesh Trilogy, and the direct sequel to Deadline. Alive or dead, the truth won't rest. Rise up while you can. Status: I am currently writing Book III, and have somewhere between fifty and sixty thousand words to go. For me, this means "almost done." I have weird standards.
Midnight Blue-Light Special.
InCryptid, book two. Paranormal romance/light horror, modern setting, first-person protagonist. Verity Price is back, and she's ready to kick a lot of cryptid and human ass in her pursuit of a career in ballroom dance. If only the Covenant of St. George would leave her the hell alone... Status: chapter three is done, and I've gone back and added a new chapter one, because that's how I roll. Semi-paused due to Blackout.
Ashes of Honor.
October Daye, book six. Urban fantasy/fairy tale noir, modern setting, first-person protagonist. Since One Salt Sea didn't piss Toby off enough to make her stop speaking to me, we continue. Status: I've reached chapter three, and the world is about to experience the joy and wonder that is Toby when she hasn't had her coffee and isn't being allowed to go to bed. Semi-paused due to Blackout.
Rat-Catcher.
A pre-Toby novella focusing on Tybalt, set in London in 1662, being written for an anthology. I'm aiming for something around 10,000 words long, and I'm really having way, way too much fun with the politics and plotting that centers around the Court of Cats. Status: about a thousand words in, still researching.
Sit, Stay, I Hate You.
Coyote Girls, book two. Young adult horror/paranormal romance, modern setting, first-person protagonist. Having survived the events of Lycanthropy and Other Personal Issues, Clady would really like it if her life would settle down and get, y'know, easy for a little while. Clady is not going to be terribly happy with me, either. Status: about halfway through chapter one, semi-stalled while I work on other things.
The Nativity of Chance.
High modern fantasy ranging across the country, through the wonderful lands of Oz, and through a lot of explosions. Pythagorean philosophy meets the works of L. Frank Baum, alchemy meets modern technology, and a pair of cuckoos meet their destiny. Status: researching.
Chasing St. Margaret.
Chick-lit romance/travelogue, modern setting, first-person protagonist, diary-style. Think Bridget Jones' Diary meets Lost In Translation meets A Twelfth Night. Actually, quite literally, on the last. My dear, sweet, utterly bewildered Margery. Status: finished, rewrites have begun; I'm through the end of chapter one.
Pretty Poison Apples.
The sequel to Nativity of Chance, and that seasonal monarchs book I've been threatening to write forever. Stop looking at me like that. Status: researching.
Velveteen vs.
Again, I don't normally include short stories on this list, but I've promised six "Velveteen vs." stories in 2011, and that makes it relevant. So far, one of the six has been finished, and I'm starting to check my legal references for the second. Maybe I can get these off the long-term project list!
Sparrow Hill Road.
Urban fantasy ghost story, modern setting, first-person protagonist. I'm in the process of taking the twelve "Sparrow Hill" stories written during 2010 and turning them into a single manuscript. The thirteenth story, "Landslide," is now in process, and chronicles, among other things, how Rose and Emma met.
There are lots of other books floating around here-some finished and slated to be worked on further, others pending getting started-but these are the ones you're likely to hear the most about, at least currently. I'll update this list from time to time, as things move from "project" to "print" and new things take their places on the workshop floor.