Irritating Itch

So ya know how you work your butt off for a sustained period of time, and you manage what feels like a great accomplishment? It's good, yes?

On Friday I sent my Cozy to my writing peeps—about half of the Burrow volunteered to read... three were supposed to read as I finished chapters, and I tried, but because the typing lagged, and then I got unhappy with the 3rd quarter, I didn't GET IT all to that batch, so I sent it to that batch PLUS the batch that was supposed to get the 'whole thing'--they got the CLEANED whole thing—I wasn't willing to send TO ANYONE the thing I finished in August... that 3rd quarter had me grumbling and unhappy with it, and I wasn't sharing yet...



So getting it to the place I was willing to share was sort of big. And there was a big giant breath of air.



And I'm waiting to exhale.



Oh, that was bad. But the metaphor applies...



You see... I'm feeling...



Loss.



I keep trying to get my footing again, and my wheels are spinning.





I HAVE managed to clean up my to do stuff, and my PLAN is to read through my thoughts for future novels.

What I WANTED to be doing right now is editing LEGACY... I REALLY want to have another novel cleaned up to start querying at the beginning of the year. But I just can't seem to focus. I DO intend to start reading it today and maybe once I'm immersed the editing mojo will flow. But at the moment I am feeling BAFFLED... The writing... the editing... Heck, I'm having trouble writing a BLOG post. (though I did write a fan fiction update and if you like Harry Potter at all, and are SUPER twisted, you might like this... it is styled after the television show SOAP, but about the Black Family... so there...



Mrs. Skowers











Idea Inventory



When it IS time to write again... 3 weeks from now, I have mentioned the 6 ideas for books nagging at me, and I thought I'd throw broad brushes at all of you to see if you had a preference as to what I wrote for NaNo... I may not listen—I am stubborn that way... but I might. A few of them are 'too heavy' for a WriMo, but I'd still love to hear which ideas are appealing—which stories you think will have PUNCH to sell...



How's that?





THREE YAs





Player Down: Two high school friends, once close, and trying to stay connected, but whose lives have diverged, still eat lunch together daily in the woods next to their school. One day, while eating and talking, they find a body—the star forward from the Basketball team. (stand-alone murder mystery)

The Pleiades: SERIES. A group of middle school girls (a boy eventually joins)--outcasts, each in their own way. The narrator has a larger mysterious arc, but the books will deal with real life stuff, one big issue a book (using super powers they pretend to have): domestic abuse, eating disorders, homophobia. The Pleiades has to do with the bond originally formed in 'constellations' of zits on their backs (gross, yes? But as the bond forms in being PICKED ON—it is locker room stuff)





The Armageddon one: International attack of some sort knocks out power, kills a lot of people, family (?) group? Only young? Decided to flee west where they know of a place they can get by hiding on the land—hunting, growing... so it is primarily a survivalist thing as they try to make their way across the US in the midst of war. (this isn't really on the NaNo board—the idea is a long-stewing one I will eventually write—born out of the 'Tomorrow When the War Began' series and following dreams... but I think it had been seeded even before that/





ADULT stuff



An Armageddon here, too...  This one, though,... is a Conspiracy story... People are dying... ALL OVER,by the thousands. A reporter and CDC worker (romantically attracted, eventually) end up being the ones who piece together that the origin is in the year's flu shots. They work together to untangle who would DO such a thing. Parallel, a Televangelist is claiming THIS is it and promising the path to salvation (at a large profit) and a dozen other groups are taking advantage...

Microbrew Semi-Cozies: Ever since reading Earthly Delights-- the naughtier sister of the cozy mystery—it seemed that was really what was for me. I thought about 'craft' and 'interest' and 'location' and decided I would LOVE to do a mystery series based in Portland... a female microbrewery owner (her sidekick the hot brewer)--so I could write microbrew... cross those propriety lines a little, but still use the amateur sleuth, sassy format... It won't SHOW the gore, but would probably be darker in theme than most cozies... won't stick with 'hated victim'--but I think the 'fun' of the cozy can be carried to something a little more... bad girl... (you know how I want to be bad...)





Okay, so that is five, not six... I HAVE another, but it is totally different genre and not actually on the near playing field... and there is that half done one I want to get back to eventually, but not just yet... The two Armageddon ones will NOT my my WriMo... any of the others might...



But I'd love feedback on any of them!