As some of you know, I've been using this blog to write about some of the books I've read in the past couple of years. I'll still do that, but I want to start using it to provide updates on my writing. For those of you who find me (as opposed to my work) interesting, you can follow me on Twitter as SusanX and/or Facebook as Susan X Meagher.
I've been writing for over 10 years now, and it's taken me this long to finally accept that the kind of feedback I'd love to get is not practical. I'd love to have a group of people who want to talk about writing and discuss why certain characters do certain things, etc., but that's not the readers' role. Readers (for the most part) want to be entertained or moved or thrilled or frightened. They don't want to spend time wondering why Callie agreed to such a one-sided relationship with Marina. And if they do wonder about it, they don't want to spend time writing to ask me. And, let's be honest, if every reader asked every question that occurred to her, I wouldn't have time to write new material.
So I'm going to try to update whenever I have something to say. I'll keep you in the loop about what I'm working on so you don't forget about me. You can leave comments any time you want, but I'm not going to publish them. I know many people are shy about making their thoughts public, so you can rest assured that only I will see them.
So, let's have an update, shall we?
I've got a book, "Smooth Sailing," just about ready for editing, and another, "How To Wrangle A Woman," about three quarters finished. When I've got a good first draft of HTWAW finished I'm going to get back to IFMHISF.
I have a lot of work to do on the series, between revising past books and marching forward on new ones. Since I don't have any other stand-alone books in the incubation stage, I'm going to get in the IFMHISF mind-frame and stay there for a while.
"Smooth Sailing" is set in Los Angeles, St. Maarten in the Caribbean, Amsterdam and Osaka. That has to be the oddest assemblage of cities for a book that's NOT about a pilot. Oops. I forgot there's a short trip to Cincinnati. That clinches it!
The book is about a woman (Laurie) who's working insane hours to finish a major work project. She's been doing this for six years and is almost finished. She's forced to take a 2 week vacation, where she meets a woman (Kaatje) who makes her reassess every part of her life. But that reassessment comes in fits and starts and none of it comes naturally for her. She's a very focused woman who can easily lose herself in her job. Now she has to decide if a job can be enough to satisfy her. Especially when someone so desirable is waiting for her in a tropical paradise. Sounds like a no-brainer, but not for Laurie!
"How To Wrangle A Woman" is set right here in NYC. It's about a woman who's hired to "babysit" for a comedian/political commentator who's having a tough time getting her schedule in order. One woman is calm, mindful, active, and who treats her body like a temple. The other is antsy, oblivious, passive, and treats her body like a depository for sugar, fat and alcohol. But they have a few important things in common, mostly a growing attraction for one another. And that's enough for a good start!
