Thursday, December 9, 2010

When Rain is Red

This is the title of the book I just completed. I am thrilled with how it came out, and am eager to submit it. Now it is in its first reading-- Katie is on the couch flipping the pages. Tonight Rob will read it. I will make any corrections over the weekend, and mail it to Delacorte before the 12/31 contest deadline. Then I wait until spring. Two entries in one contest make for some nervy trips to the mailbox!

Next project? Hm. I have several in cue. Maybe I need to take a few days to read. I have Debbie Levy's book to finish before her Book Club Sunday. I also want to read Crazy Lady, having met THE Jane Conly at the retreat last weekend. And I have two Wendy Mass novels from the library. Yes, I think reading is in order. Clear my head of Lewis and fill it with some marvelous prose!

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Retreat and Go Forward

This past weekend I attended a writer's retreat with a handful of members of the regional chapter of the SCBWI. It was a lovely weekend, and I accomplished more than I imagined I would.

I completed the second YA novel I have been working on. This one is called, "When Rain is Red." The book is about a school shooting, but more deeply about how Lewis,the eleven-year-old main character, is drawn into a darkness that leads to this tragedy. Writing the shooting scene was very difficult. I procrastinated a long time. But I think I was able to capture the terror, the horror, without being gratuitous or graphic. We shall see!