25 Jan 2012

Book Deal--Wind Over Troubled Waters


Last month, Edith Parzefall and I got a book deal for the first book of our Higher Ground series, Wind over Troubled Waters.
Right before my birthday. Who could have expected such a wonderful present?
Let me tell you all about it. That is, if you haven't read the same thing in Edith's blog. I'll start at the beginning. Are you sitting comfortably?
The first thing to mention is that co-writing with a partner like Edith is the most enjoyable occupation I've had in my entire life. I can hardly count the hours until we meet in May for the first time.
After writing for about three years, I met Edith on the Internet Writing Workshop, novels-l section. It's a friendly writers' site, where members submit their work, one chapter at a time, for others to critique. We went over each other's work and, over the years, got to know how we thought and worked. I came to the end of my Moonstone series and contacted a few friends about an idea of a story set in the future about the same group of people after a drastic change came about on earth. Of course, my characters would have died. But their personalities could be reborn, and they'd learn more as they went along in a future world.
I’d made a start on the first book and Edith jumped in and continued. She knew my style because she edited my first book Still Rock Water. She’s much better at action scenes than I am, so I was glad she chose the men. I based the Raymond character on my first husband, so I knew him well. Boris is a reincarnation of a drug lord – Mack B in my first triology. Trevly, Aron, Sasha and Cerridwen are based on other characters too. You don’t know them so it’s no use telling you who they are. All the characters get another chance to redeem themselves and of course experience karma. Chuckle!
I did all the character profiles, but Edith chucked them out the window as their characters grew. Still, it was good to have something to disregard. Cerridwen stayed true to herself. Trevly and Aron were both drawn to Sasha in the other life. Cerridwen loved both men.
Edith lives in Germany and I’m near London. 1 hour apart. We work well together, give respect and patience and sometimes send more than 20 emails a day. When my broadband went off for a week Edith said she felt cut off. She didn’t know if I was sick or what.
We’ve each signed a contract so that the other can ensure that the books are not lost if anything happens to one of us. Last year, one of the members of IWW died and her family wouldn’t have even been recognized her work for what it was, let alone publish it. I feel very privileged to be associated with Edith.
She wrote: "Just one thing to add to Francene's explanations. It's very inspiring to write with someone else. Sometimes Francene might write a paragraph only to weave in a little back story or even setting and it might fire off a new idea, sometimes a complete subplot. And the other way round of course.
"Francene wrote that she isn't good with action scenes, but we did rub off on each other. She wrote the fantastic girl fight scene at the party after the mudfights. Carol Kean, who knows both our writing very well, was so sure I'd written it because of the humor and action. :-)"
Back to the present. We've finished four books in the Higher Ground series together.
I've written an off-shoot about the Raymond character after he chose to stay behind in Saint Eyes. Edith's gone over it and, after I made her recommended modifications, she approves.
The first book: Wind Over Troubled Waters is due to be published in May 2012. The second, Knights in Dark Leather will come out the following year. The other two: Golden Submarine and Long Doom Calling will follow.
I'll feature the cover for Wind Over Troubled Waters as soon as it's available.


16 Jan 2012

Just Finished--Kiss of the Tide



Latest book:

After my good friends and writing buddies, Edith Parzefall and Don McCandless read my complete manuscript through and made various comments and suggestions, I feel confident that my latest book Kiss of the Tide is ready for further revision. I'll go through each chapter and check for tension and conflict.

This novel fills in a missing four months in Liliha's life from the first book Still Rock Water in the Moonstone series below.


"So what's it about?" you ask.

"Kiss of the Tide is about an overheard train conversation, which leads a small-time thief to Liliha's star moonstone ring."

"Is the ring valuable?"

"Actually, it is. Although inherited from her grandmother, the ring is from ancient Egypt and sends Liliha into visions where she can guide a person through a trial or situation. She's lonely and decides to follow up after she fails to change a character in one of her visions. She's sort of like a detective. But, mistaken identity, sheltering a woman, and thwarting her pimp somehow manage to weave broken lives together."


11 Jan 2012

About The Moonstone Series

 I'm trying to work out how to get these side by side.
I haven't got the hang of it.
Rather than fiddle more, I'll fill in the spaces with words.
Stitch the whole thing into a picture.

Still Rock Water is the first book in the Moonstone series.
It's theme begins with birth. As in birth of love.
It's followed by death, then infinity.


"So, what's it about?"

"Still Rock Water is about an idealist who struggles for her own identity and fights malevolence and roguery with her magic ring."

"Sounds a little abstract. Tell us more."

"Liliha's inherited the ring from her grandmother, and with it come visions where she enters other people's minds and sees through their eyes. But her husband asks for a divorce, and everything goes wrong in her life. After moving overseas, she learns the ring's history from the British museum. New friends have similar interests and one of them takes her through a regression, where she relives her past life as the God's Wife of Amun. There's a happy ending when the man she loves reveals a mural he's painted depicting her visions and asks her to marry him."

-----      -----     -----     -----     -----    (stitches)

The next book in the Moonstone series is
Tidal Surge. As you can see by the picture, the theme is dark.

"Dark sounds good. Tell us more." 

"Tidal Surge is about an idealist. Liliha overcomes a supernatural adversary to free her daughter from an ancient scarab-bracelet."

"So, the scarab is wearing a bracelet?"

"Giggle Uhm, no. The scarab adorns the bracelet. Sometimes it appears quite alive. Her daughter tries on a bracelet hidden away in the bottom of a jewel box. She is sucked into a horrific vision where she sees through a killer's eyes as he shoots a couple on their honeymoon. Liliha, wearing her moonstone ring which has the opposite effect, helps the remaining man recover. The daughter sinks deeper into the scarab's clutches and succumbs to evil actions through others until at last she gives it up and recovers with Liliha's help. But this story doesn't have a happy ending."

 -----      -----     -----     -----     ----- (stitches)


Then comes Ever Changing Sea. This one is about the continuity of
change. With a rosy tinge to the future. Infinity.

"Oh, come on, give us more."

"Sigh. But you know there is nothing worse for a writer than to summarise her work."

"Are you going to make me beg?"

"No. I would never do that. Let's see. Ever Changing Sea. It's about a visionary woman and a charming rogue who assemble a collection of mystical Egyptian jewelry to uncover the incredible past."

"Charming rogue. Is it a romance?"

"Actually, no. Liliha wears a star moonstone ring. She's plagued by visions where someone is causing evil. The charming rogue is devoted to her and, out of guilt for former behaviour, looks for a scarab bracelet. After the discovery of a dusty bracelet behind her old oven, he acquires its pair, which he passes on to her along with an ancient necklace sent by his uncle. They both undergo staggering regressions to ancient Egypt. She has an amazing vision wearing all the jewellery together, then bestows everything to the museum for safe keeping. The happy ending comes when she kisses the charmer, rogue no more.