A Writer's Week #92: Plotting Along

Appearance Alert:  I will be holding a book signing on November 16th from 1:00 to 3:00 at the Barn Gallery in New Fairfield, CT. If you're in the area, stop by, I'd love to see you.

This has been a busy couple of weeks. Last weekend, I was the featured author at the CT Society of Santas' 4th annual arts and crafts festival. It was a two day event, which was a first for me. I was a little apprehensive, but also excited. After I arrived and set up, I took a stroll to check out the other vendors. I was really impressed with the quality.

The foot traffic the first day was disappointing. It was a beautiful day with temperatures pushing 70 degrees. Most people were out and doing things. I had a lot of fun, despite slow sales. My college roommate, Bill Bossert, and his wife Meg stopped by to chat and pick up a copy of Order of the Crystal Lion. It was great to see them.

After the slow traffic on Saturday, I approached Sunday with a mixture of hope and trepidation. Thankfully,

Sunday was a much better day from a sales perspective. I was visited by friends Lauren and Keegan Shaw and their adorable twins. All in all, I had a decent show. Sales were what I normally have in a one day show, but I made a lot of new friends, met a bunch of kids, and reconnected with some old friends. You can't ask for any more than that. I will definitely be back next year.

Meanwhile, on the writing front, I've been plotting along. I've been wrestling with the plot outline for The Deliverers 4 for a while now. This morning on my walk I think I hit upon the solution to the big sticking point. Someone is trying to change history. Eric and the Deliverers have to go back in time to stop this someone from trying to change history. They go back to the time of the revolution to a couple days before a battle that was fought in Eric's hometown. My problem was that I could not figure out how this individual manifests himself. This morning, I figured it out. Hopefully, the rest of the plotting will go smoothly and quickly! I'd like to start writing by the end of this month. I'll let you know how it's going next week.

A Writer's Week #87: Holiday Planning

Trees in our yard a few autumns ago

Fall is here and the leaves in my neck of the woods are starting to change. I always love this time of the year when the nights get cool, but the says are clear and bright. The sky seems so much more blue when it is framed by red and gold leaves for some reason. Anyhow, I was brought up short earlier this week when I read that there were less than 90 days until Christmas. Man, that isn't very long from now is it?

This is the time of year when I start booking appearances at craft fairs and holiday festivals. I always enjoy appearing at them, because I always wind up making some new friends. Meeting thee children and seeing them get excited about my stories is always tonic for my soul. Hopefully, they get a little more excited about reading as a result.

I've booked two appearances so far--one in mid-October, and a book signing in mid-November. I have two
more that I'm waiting for confirmation on that would take place in early November and early December. That's about all I'll have time for between all the activities my children have lined up. Still, it will be double the number I had during last year's holiday season. Hopefully, I'll have everything firmed up by the end of next week. If so, I'll provide a full listing of dates and times next Friday.

This week, I also updated the logo for White Owl Manuscripts. I used the font from the covers of the Deliverers Series books and changed the picture of the owl. It turned out rather nicely. It's got a bookish feel to it. What do you think?

I also completed the first round of rewrites and edits of The Deliverers 3: The Golden Dragon of Ang. My wife has read it all the way through and proclaimed it the best book yet. That's high praise. She's read all my books and is always brutally honest about what she feels needs to be rewritten. She's almost always right, too. I'll be rereading it one more time. There's a little part that she feels could be changed, and I agree. There are also a couple other parts that I think could be developed more. It looks like editing should be complete within the next week or so!

Finally, this week ended on a high note as I just found out today that The Barn Gallery here in New Fairfield has sold out its stock of The Deliverers 2: Order of the Crystal Lion. I found out because someone who had purchased the last three wound up on my doorstep looking for one more. Needless to say, I hightailed it over to replenish their stock--who knows what Saturday will bring?

Have a great week, and I'll talk to you soon!