The Struggle is Real...and FUN

I'm currently riding a triple-decker high that is incredibly rare in the world of hard-working writers. Most of the time, the path to publishing is a struggle.

We begin by struggling to write a book. Yes, it's fun, communing with those imaginary characters filling our heads. But the part about creating a complete story that entertains not just ourselves, but hopefully readers, is a struggle. We take workshops and webinars. We read craft books by the dozen. We study and try to implement what we've learned. Eventually, if we're lucky and persistent, we're able to type THE END. 

Then we struggle to revise and refine our words before struggling to find an agent and/or publisher for the book. Then we struggle to find readers. All the while, we're back struggling to write the NEXT book. 

And so on. And so on. 

I've been incredibly lucky to have repeatedly made it through all those struggles to reach this high point in my career. As I've already stated, I'm Malice Domestic's Guest of Honor this year. I'm also an Agatha nominee for the 8th time. Completing the hat trick, I have a short story in Malice Domestic's annual anthology, this one themed Murder Most Senior. This inclusion is directly related to the first part of my author hat trick. 

For fans of my Zoe Chambers mysteries, you might be happy to hear that this short story features Sylvia Bassi of the series. 

While basking in the honors and eagerly anticipating a truly memorable weekend in late April, I'm still working on the next book(s). Hell Hath No Fury: Detective Honeywell Mystery #5 is in the pipeline. I'm awaiting copyedits and cover art for it. I'm also struggling with a new story, new characters, slightly new genre, because those imaginary characters in my head will not shut up and let me enjoy a moment's peace. 

The struggle is real. Fun, but real.


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