The Writemare Before Christmas

The author, working on his new manuscript.

Most of you know I co-wrote a novel entitled Only Son. Published in 2012, it was my first professional writing effort, and while many of my fabulous readers purchased a copy, the book did not do well. I place most of that blame upon myself. It was my first attempt at writing, and to be honest, I was out of my league. That said, it was a dream come true. Long after I’m dead – which could be as early as tomorrow – this book will still be around. It’s a humbling thought.

At the beginning of 2013, I became bound and determined to write a book of my own, if for no other reason than to see if it could be accomplished. I started and stopped numerous times before work issues, family issues, blog issues, and my general manic-depressive disposition kept interfering.

Earlier this year, I started up again at the behest of TXNick and his mother. I was about a chapter in when I realized the story I was writing was unfolding more as a sequel than an initial book. After breaking the keyboard across my hands, I decided to do something drastic:

I am going to write the initial book and the sequel concurrently.

Note this will not be a sequel to Only Son. That was initially my co-author Pam’s idea, and I did not want to take over the story without her. Both these books will be fresh ideas with a completely different cast of characters. I have just broken ground on both books, but I wanted to post the idea as a motivational tool. If I can remain focused, I can do this.

At least, I hope I can.