It's All Good
I am busy. The Order of Death -- and Other Secret Societies is taking up most of my time. The first draft has to be done by October 15th. That might seem a ways down the road, but it really isn't. Though it's great fun researching the various secret societies and then selecting the most interesting and pertinent information to weave into stories and sidebars, it is time-intensive. The plan is to look at 7 secret societies, and so far I have completed 2 -- Skull and Bones and the Yakuza. I am currently working on the third one -- the Knights Templar. I don't know how my research is going to manifest itself into a story yet, but I have an inkling I shall be inspired soon. I love that "AHA!!" feeling, when the muse strikes and I know I've hit pay dirt. In the meantime, I shall continue to dig.
I recently heard from Orca Book Publishers informing me that they are going to publish Cheat, in Currents, a hi-lo series they offer for reluctant readers. It's been three years since I last had a book with Orca, so I'm looking forward to working with them again. The bonus here is that the book is already written. The normal pattern for submissions to this series is to write an outline and sample chapter. I did that last fall. And Orca liked it. But because I didn't want the book published until 2010, Orca was reluctant to offer a contract. The editor suggested I complete the book and resubmit. The downside to that scenario is that if, upon reading the complete draft, Orca decided not to publish it, I would be stuck with a manuscript that was written to such specific criteria that it would basically be unsellable anywhere else. However, I was pretty certain the editor wouldn't have made the suggestion if she wasn't fairly confident it would be a go. And it is. So now I don't have to write the book. I just have to rewrite it. (sigh) Ah, well, as my mother would say, it keeps me off the streets.
So back to work.