In 2008, Moonstone, the first book in the Unbidden Magic series was
published by Bell Bridge Books and I signed a contract to write five more books. Moon Rise came out in 2009,
along with The Rock and Roll Queen of Bedlam
from a different publisher. Three more books in the series appeared in 2010,
2011 and 2012. In late 2013, Baby Gone
Bye, the single title YA story of a teenage father, was the final book in
my contract.
Christmas came and went.
January is typically the time I get back to work. A brand new year. New
resolve. New energy. I didn’t write a single word the entire month of January.
I had an idea floating around in my head, but couldn’t gather the will power or
strength to start something new. Strangely, I felt like a sailboat cut loose
from its mooring and adrift on the sea.
Since I keep track of the
number of words I write on my daily calendar, I looked back.
January, 2012 – 15,000 words
(Midnight Moon)
January, 2013 – 17,000
words (Baby Gone Bye)
January 2014 – Nada.
What was wrong with me? After
writing a book a year for six years, had I lost my mojo? Did I require a
deadline in order to produce a book? I did a lot of thinking that month before
I came to the following conclusion: I need to look forward not backward. My
confusion and resulting paralysis sprang from the sense of loss I was feeling.
I no longer had a relationship with a wonderful publishing company who’d taken
a huge chance on an unknown author and given me a six-book contract. I will
always be grateful for that opportunity.
In early February I realized
it was time to move on. With loss comes liberation. I am now free to explore
other options. A brand new genre has emerged in the last few years called New
Adult. The idea floating around in my cerebral soup coalesced into something
resembling a book. I began making notes, creating characters, plot lines, once
again excited about starting something new.
On February 9th, I
started the book I now call Affliction. I’m
totally into the main character, 22-year-old Honor Melanie Sullivan and can’t
wait to tell her story. Though I intended the book to be strictly romantic suspense, I've added another layer. My girl not only has a touch of Asperger’s, she can also
read souls. Oh yeah, her boyfriend turns out to be ex military policeman, the
Harley-riding William Henry McCarty, aka, Billy the Kid. Yep, I’m having fun
again!
