Some Updates

It’s been nearly three months since I wrote a blog post. I’ve thought about it a few times, and even went so far as to take voice notes on my walks, but ultimately, cleaning up and posting those ideas seemed like too much work. I’m really burned out. Not just stressed and overworked—which (let’s face it) is sort of my regular operating speed—but totally and utterly fried. Since the beginning of the year, I’ve dropped out of writers groups, turned off most of my Facebook notifications, and given serious thought to dumping my Twitter account. (The main reason I haven’t done this last thing is I’ve been too lazy to make the effort.) I’ve also gotten behind on my blog reading. If I used to come around to your blog and comment, and I haven’t lately, it’s not because I’ve forgotten about you. I just don’t have the energy. I spent a good part of the last year-and-a-half caught up in the social networking/marketing game, and it’s gotten to the point where I practically have an anxiety attack just thinking about that stuff. So I’ve made a lot of changes. I’m not messing with promotion anymore. My social networking (which is practically non-existent) is currently limited to two things—hanging out with friends and conversing with fans. Regardless of how important it might be for writers to promote each other, I just don’t care any more. The only author-related activities I’m willing to take part in are two local critique groups in which I’ve made a great many friendships and … writing. No more teaching, no more blog tours, no more book fairs or public appearances. Even so, I feel stressed.

Partly that’s due to a positive thing. A Shiny New Idea whapped me upside the head last October, and I’ve been trying to juggle that, and my revisions to Redline, ever since. This project has required an enormous amount of research, which of course takes an equally enormous amount of time. I’ll save the details for another blog post, but I do want to update my readers about Redline. I’m just shy of being two-thirds of the way through with my revisions. A lot has come up this winter, slowing my progress, but things are moving more quickly now. I think I can get it to my editor by the middle of March, which means I’ll potentially be able to get the ebook out by mid-April. I don’t want to make any concrete promises because things always come up, but I have two powerful incentives to keep me on track. One is that I really want to get busy on my new project. The other is that the Ides of March will usher in the beginning of landscaping season, and once that happens, I’ll hardly have any time for writing.

While you’re waiting, if you haven’t read Dead Heat, you might want to try that. It’s a little darker than the Full Throttle books, but if the character relationships are what you liked about those stories, I think you’ll enjoy this one as well. I know I’m way behind, and I appreciate your patience. I’ll send out a newsletter to let you know as soon as Redline is finished.

• Dead Heat on Amazon
• Dead Heaton Barnes and Noble
• Dead Heat on Smashwords

“Dead Heat blew me away. It’s a gritty ghost story interwoven with all-too-real subject matter that will make you cry for Alex, ache for Cole, and thank God for Jade. I was invested in these characters’ lives and you will be too.”

~ Stacey Wallace Benefiel, author of the Zellie Wells trilogy