Charlie No Face is still in line/word editing, something that will continue a while longer before it goes to the publisher. The publisher treats each book like a new vintage of wine and doesn’t release it until it’s time. Although we’ve been talking about an August release date, I feel it will be the fall. Perhaps Charlie will draw more interest then.
I continue to work on the new novel - - - Chimney Bluffs - - - and am over the 12,000 word mark now. I find it takes about 10,000 words before the characters feel familiar and I have a sense of what they think and how they may act under certain circumstances. I am going back to earlier chapters to adjust their dialogue or the narrator’s voice to accommodate their development as three dimensional people.
Clancy, the character that discovers the disaster on Chimney Bluffs, was easiest to write at first, because the plot is created through him. But as I’ve gotten to know him better, I’ve gone back to alter some of his reactions to discovering the dead bodies, because he seemed too stiff. Kate and Mitch, the husband and wife, are evolving as well, one being more certain of the decision they make on Chimney Bluffs, the other more doubtful. Danny, the five year old son, is yet to be created.
This part is fun. Through them I am working on a question that is most important to me in this novel: What do people do when they are on the edge, literally and figuratively? And why do they do it?
The other potentially exciting news is that my current publisher, Savant, may publish Chimney Bluffs. Time will tell, but my editor is very interested in working with me again. The publisher would like to develop relationships with his authors so they will stay with Savant. If an editor wants to ‘champion’ a manuscript submission, that is the key to moving forward. It would be a great relief not to go through the whole submission, rejection, rejection, rejection process again.

Different note - - - I am retiring at the end of June. This transition will open lots of doors to new opportunities. More time to write. More time with my granddaughter, who I will take care of three days a week. And other things, as well.