Superstition Book 1 - Done

Well, I just posted the final chapter of Superstition - Book 1 - Something Wicked This Way Comes.

It feels like quite an accomplishment. It's easily the longest piece of original fiction I've ever written, and it clocks in at just under 17,000 words. That's about a third of a nanowrimo. I made a schedule and (largely) stuck to it. A couple of missed deadlines due to life in the real world, and a permanent shift from MF to Tu/Sat updates. But overall, I feel really proud that I accomplished this goal.

I also managed to start another novel, An Empire of Law, in the same time, and I'm 8 chapters and a foreword into that, with more to come. I've successfully updated that on time, MWF for the last two and a half weeks, and I plan to continue.

I will also be returning to the world of Superstition. I just want to take a couple weeks off, while I plot out the next novel. I wrote the first one fairly organically. I knew the basic plot - that it would be based on the witches' spell from MacBeth. And I knew I wanted to end in Arlington National. Beyond that, I basically wrote by the seat of my pants and the pacing suffered because of it. AEOL, on the other hand, was plotted from the beginning, all the way through, and already I've gotten compliments on how much tighter the writing is. So I want to take the time to plan out book 2. I think I know what the major hook will be (which of course, I can't reveal here - it IS a mystery, after all ;)), but I don't know how it's going to play out and how Dash is going to solve the case. I've given myself two weeks to figure it out. Or to come up with a whole new plot device and run from there.

I again want to thank all my readers who've stuck with me. You're the people I write for. I appreciate all the helpful comments and the sense of community many of us seem to have.

I hope you've enjoyed your time here, and I hope you'll stick around. I'm nowhere near done yet.

Thanks,
ATM

Magician's Merger

I owe Xenophon Hendrix a note of thanks for linking Superstition on his blog. The readership has increased dramatically as a result. So thanks, Xenophon!

Additionally, I wanted to say I've spent the past couple days reading through his own story, Magician's Merger. It's an interesting story about an 11 year old boy who wakes up with an ancient magician in his head. The story reads very well and the plot is a unique take on the genre. I highly recommend it.

New Book Up

My new book, An Empire of Law, has begun. This book is a low-magic fantasy, set in a world of my creation. So far, there are four chapters to read, including a Foreword.

I am not abandoning Superstition. But the first book is coming to a close, and I wanted to have something going before I ended it, so that you, the readers, wouldn't go without some of my writing. Also, I think it may appeal to a different set of readers. But of course, I'd love it if everyone reading Superstition read AEOL (you're welcome, Gavin).

AEOL updates MWF, and I will continue with the Tuesday/Saturday updates for Superstition until Book 1 ends. Then, I'll take a couple weeks off of Superstition while I plot out the next adventure of Dashiell and Regina. The nice thing about that particular setting is that it feels much more serial - it lends itself to shorter stories, but with greater possibilities over time. In fact, I had originally envisioned it as a potential TV series idea (hey, every writer wants to work in Hollywood at some point, right?).

AEOL, on the other hand, is much more geared to be an epic, along the lines of No Man an Island, or something by Tolkein or Jordon (without a book that covers four days where nothing happens (sorry - couldn't resist)).

Hopefully you'll enjoy both stories.

And, as always, thanks for reading!