For the moment...

For those of you who keep track of things like books released, you might notice I'm a bit behind. Quite a good bit, actually. And falling further by the moment. But, I'm doing something new, a little different, something I've wanted to do for some time. I'm still writing suspense (no need to start sending angry letters), but I'm writing them a little differently. It's sort of a hard thing to explain, exactly, but as soon as I am able, I'll post a bit of the new one so you can see what I mean. At any rate, I've been working very diligently at it but have, at the same time, felt a little out of my element.

Just before a wonderful week in Palm Springs for spring break, I sent off the first third of the new book, ONE CLEAN SHOT, to my editor. Fingers crossed and breath held (at least for the first few minutes of our trip), I hoped she'd have good things to say. And for a few days, I have to confess, I actually forgot about it....okay, not FULL days but parts of them.

Returning home, I was swept into the minutiae that come with returning from vacation: mail, laundry, the yard and it was a full week later when my editor and I finally spoke. Her first words were, "This is going to be an awkward conversation..." And I thought, "Oh, no."

"All I really have for you is praise," she said and went on to express how much she had enjoyed the pages, how the characters had grown and developed, the writing...Halfway through our conversation, I notced that my notebook, which had been open to write down her suggestions and criticisms, was blank, and soon, I found myself taking notes on her kudos. A full page of thing she'd liked. Wow. At the end of our conversation, she said that she'd finished reading the pages for the first time at night, sitting in bed with her husband. And when she'd turned the last page, he'd asked, "How was it?"

And she'd said, "It's damn good."

Those were the last words on that page in my notebook. "Damn good. Damn good. Damn good." I've been repeating it like a little mantra.

Then, she asked me, "How much more have you written?"

Eek! I thought. NONE. But I am determined not to worry with that. The beginning is damn good and that is perfect for the moment...the rest, I can only pray, will follow....