It has been a long time coming, but thanks to the support of my Facebook family, I am going to dust off the files in my “Works in progress” directory and see what I have. For those of you who don’t know, I used to be an author–before I was a .publisher. As hard as I tried (15 years worth) publishing did not work for me. Not a day goes by that I don’t feel like I let so many people down when I published their books. Someone asked me the other day if I ever thought about going back to publishing. I didn’t even have to think about it. No. The roller coaster of a ride was too much for me. I worked with some incredible writers–talented and supportive–, and then I had some who seemed to take pleasure in making my life miserable–spiteful and mean. But that is in the past. Publishing allowed me to make some incredible friends and I learned so much about the industry. Which leads me to now.
After looking at my directories, I have three projects worth considering as my jumping back in point. This is what I have. Which one do you think I should work on first?
- Tender Betrayer: A historical romance involving two people who were raised together by an overly zealous man of faith. The young boy and girl vow to be together always, but circumstances send the boy off. The young girl is left behind. A decade later, she has finally moved on and her life is showing potential…until he comes back! She is determined she does not need to be rescued, especially by the one who had abandoned her. (This is book one of a trilogy.)
- Petticoat Junction: A Liberation of Fools: A steampunk novel that introduces a young girl determined to find her brother who disappeared during the war. The young adventurer finds herself up against foes she can barely imagine, but finds help from several other displaced girls. These girls make their home on a renovated train car (reminiscent of The Wild, Wild West). The book has been potentially set as the opening of a 4-book series, with character personalities based on the elements. Adventure.
- Gumshue Inc: Dressed to Kill: Gloria Gumshue is a detective in retro-futuristic Chicago. 2020 rolls in, but the world seems to have fallen back in time, to flappers and prohibition. When Gloria gets her new assignment she discovers she is to protect the most well-known fashion designer in the world, who happens to be an old school chum of her mothers. When the client is murdered in front of the entire world, Gloria and her sidekick, must find the murderer. The job is incredibly difficult because everyone and their brother hated the victim. Then there is all the sexual tension between Gloria and her FBI nemesis. This is potentially the beginning of an ongoing series. Mystery,
In a society focused on the misguided principle of immediate gratification, we, as a whole, have put ourselves into a very precarious position with regard to success and ultimately, survival. Every day millions of people wake up with what they think are plans, or even strategies for how they will make it big within the next twenty-four hours. Whether by day trading in the stock market or winning the lottery, and a variety of endeavors in between, they set out to accomplish the nearly impossible. This attitude has becoming frighteningly commonplace. Where exactly did pride in our actions fall to the wayside? When did striking it rich become more important than ensuring not only the productivity, but the very survival of the human race?
What can we do to improve the overall stability and potential for success? This is literally a life or death question. Organizations and individuals can work together to shift the focus of the average person away from immediate success and strive to rebuild the confidence levels and self-esteem of each member of the human race. By focusing our attention as people on the positive aspects of life, instead of demoralizing the efforts of those who do find success, by whatever means, we can develop a productively more sound future for our race in general.
Journey of the Heart 