At Loose Ends

A few days ago I wrote the final page for Megan's Legacy, and shortly thereafter sent the manuscript to my publisher.

Sounds like a rather simple statement, doesn't it? However, completing Megan's Legacy also signals the end of the Collective Obsessions Anthology. Having been consumed by the storyline and it's characters for more than twenty years, it's a jolt to realize I no longer have to get up at the crack of dawn and work until midnight to make a dent in my planned visions for the books.

Just a year ago I thought I'd never see the light at the end of the tunnel, yet here I am. The rigid daily schedule I kept for so long is now history. I'm sure there will come a time when I'll impose the same schedule on myself for another project, but at the moment I'm a bit at loose ends.

One of my favorite regimens was to write longhand by night just so I could get away from the computer screen, and then type my notes by day. I'm not a natural typist, frankly, so writing longhand was enjoyable for me. I also had a few quirks that went along with the scribbles: round-stick grip black pens only, and countless pads of quadrille paper (five squares per inch on each side). I may have to start my next project sooner rather than later just to get back into my nightly swing.

I've been catching up on my mail (electronic and postal), playing with the "kids" (my beloved dog and cat), and updating my Twitter and Facebook pages. I'm also enjoying the Good Reads and Library Thing forums, along with paying attention to the news and watching favorite television programs. I feel like I've been away for months, finally returning home to take care of mundane but important business.

To know that all eight books in the Collective Obsessions Anthology will be released this year and next is keeping my head in the clouds. It's akin to a natural high, and I'm not sure I'm ready to come back down to earth yet.

But real life marches on...

Character Closure

I'm more than half-way finished with Megan's Legacy, the eighth and final part of the Collective Obsessions Anthology.

It's difficult to provide closure for certain longtime residents in the books, and rather bittersweet. The Larkin and Sullivan families have been in my head for a long, long time. However, as in real life, fictional characters age and pass away just like real ones do. Since the books span a period of more than 140 years, the progression is inevitable.

I have vivid dreams about the characters and scenes on occasion, which is a decidedly weird occurrence and has never happened to me before now.

While I don't want to give too much away at this point, it will be strange to put the characters to bed, so to speak, once and for all.

Sunday Doodles

Since I'm not too interested in the outcome of today's Super Bowl (no fun sans the Oakland Raiders), I'm spending the time writing new material for Megan's Legacy and half-paying attention to all-day marathons of Law & Order SVU and Murder She Wrote.

I went to the store yesterday to stock up on dog and cat food, and even then the grocery was packed to the rafters with people buying goodies for game gatherings. I wouldn't step a toe into it today for love nor money. Speaking of goodies, my favorite snack gnaw while typing or handwriting is Chex Mix. I've become addicted to the stuff of late, along with my daily dose of Arizona Iced Tea with Lemon.

I'm progressing with the storyline in Megan's Legacy, taking it where I want it to go and finally bringing the Collective Obsessions Anthology to an end. However, even pre-planned outlines sometimes go off course, which happened several times over the weekend. They were all good inclusions in regards to the story, adding a bit more drama for the main characters, but sometimes little epiphanies create other avenues that need exploring.

As usual, I won't know the final outcome until the last word appears on my screen.

"Passion Forsaken" Released

Passion Forsaken was released by Club Lighthouse Publishing today!

I'm excited beyong words, naturally. One book down, seven more to go...

Passion Forsaken is available at Amazon (Kindle), Fictionwise (Nook) and in multiple formats at the publisher's web site.

Click here to read the press release for "Passion Forsaken."

Covers & Contracts

Last night I went to bed around eight-thirty, intending to rest and watch a bit of television after a long day of writing. Instead, I fell into a coma-like sleep and didn't awaken until six-thirty this morning. I haven't had ten hours of straight slumber in years.

My publisher sent me a preview of the cover for Passion Forsaken. To me, it depicts the two main characters Molly and Colm during their time together, and then Molly's later angst. Her attention is directed toward the lighthouse, which symbolizes Colm in a way. I'm very happy with the results, thanks to Terrie at Club Lighthouse Publishing.

Another glorious bit of news was the presence of two more publishing contracts in my email inbox this morning. The Keeper's Journal and Hearts Desires are now on the roster for publication in 2012. Or am I still asleep and dreaming?

Maybe I'm not really awake and need to keep pinching myself...