Falling Into New Projects

Things are finally slowing down this month. More of a catch my breath before November hits sort of quiet than anything, really. Only two single-day book signings this month and an actual vacation! It's been a few years since I've had a real vacation and here's the big one, my husband and I haven't had a vacation with just the two of us since before we were married. That was twenty-five years ago as of this Halloween. We figured we were due for an anniversary trip. Okay, overdue. Looong overdue. We'll be heading off to the Smoky Mountains later this month.

On another fun note, since I'm semi-prepping for NaNo, I'm considering an idea for a book that might require the need to dust off my long neglected painting skills. I've been spending the occasional evening doing watercolor lessons for a refresher. 

If you are looking for books, I'll be at the Geeky Experience Comic Con in Holland this weekend but then I'll be off until November. Hooray!

I got to hang out with author Vera West in Kalamazoo last weekend.

Projects on the agenda for NaNoWriMo this year include:

    1. Actually, for really really sure this time, working on Frayed

    2. A horror short story collection

    3. A children's book

    4. Being entirely unproductive publishing-wise but working on my personal project if all else fails.

November's book signing schedule:

    Nov 11-13 Grand Rapids Comic Con

    Nov 19 Fantasticon 

    Nov 26 Bluestocking Bookshop Indie Author Day

If you're not familiar with 

the Insecure Writers Support 

Group, check it out here 

and find links to all the other 

participating writers.

And that brings us to this month's Insecure Writer's Support Group Question: What do you consider the best characteristics of your favorite genre?

Answering for Speculative Fiction because I'm kind of an umbrella term author, the best part is the freedom of imagination. Followed closely by being able to write whoever and whatever best serves the story without being tied to real world rules or expectations. Spec fic allows us to shine lights on all kinds of real world issues, but through a more distant lens that often makes those topics more palatable and easier to digest. Getting out of our world and into an entirely new one is also a great escape from daily life, a vacation in book pages.