On Writing October 17, 2017

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I spent most of this last week at my sister, Alice’s. (Alice V Brock, author of prize-winning mid-grade novel River of Cattle) We worked the whole time.

I spent most of one day with Kim Davis and her daughter, Jackie, my web gurus, so I could finally figure out how to post here, and the rest of the time on my book 2 and Alice’s book 2. I screwed up trying to post this, and it will have to wait until Kim can walk me through it. AGAIN.

Alice got most of the chapter that is the mid-point crisis of her second novel in her Will and Buck series. And she jerked and tugged and pulled a rough and sketchy plot outline out of me for my third novel in the Adalta Series, Falling. It was tough. I don’t plot. Or rather, I use the I Shot an Arrow into the Air, It Fell to Ground I Know Not Where Plot Method. 

It remains to be seen how long I can stick to it. When I tried to plot Hunter, vol. 2, I ended up not even using one of the main characters I’d worked so hard to develop. 

While you are here, check out the new cover (by Kurt Nilson) for Hunter on the Books page. It would be great if you commented to tell me what you think of it.

Chapter One in the Karda serial follows. I’ll post Chapter Two in two weeks. If you sign up for my newsletter, I'll let you know when I post it.

Karda: Adalta Vol. I Chapter One

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Marta Rowan sighed and rubbed her aching feet. The walk to Rashiba Prime from the desolate barrens where the heli-shuttle set her down was long—longer than she anticipated. Distances were shorter on planet surveys than they were walking in boots. Adalta's one continent was immense.

Cold, wet wind from the barren rocky hills blew loose hair across her face. Shelter under the small twisted evergreen next to the rough road was welcome, and she leaned back against its furrowed trunk. Once again I start over. On a new planet, this time alone. It wasn’t a new thought. She’d just never felt so lonely before. Maybe it’s the desolation here where nothing’s been replanted.

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