When Characters Stop Talking To You

(Been a while since I've posted a real blog post. Gotta correct that.)


I had been concentrating most of my attention on my vampire novel, UNDER THE DARK OF THE MOON (formerly BEFORE THE DAWN), as well as two shorter works, "Raven" and "Stranger". I had been working on them almost exclusively, trying to get projects that have been hanging for a while finished before moving on to other projects. All had been going well.

Until recently, that is.

As some may know, I lost my job in August of this year. It was a bit of a mixed blessing; the job sucked in so many ways. Being on unemployment is far less stressful than working for the previous company. I had thought that with more abundant free time, I'd be able to focus on getting the projects finished.

Too bad that hasn't happened.

After nearly two months of being out of work, I've become stuck on all three projects. I find myself in that frustrating position of staring at the pages and not knowing what comes next. I know how each project ends but I don't know how to get to those endings. Part of it could be frustration over not being able to find another job. I have to spend a good chunk of my day sending out applications. It's not conducive to churning out copy.

I can usually go a couple of days without writing. After that, I start getting all nervous and twitchy, like I know I should be doing something but am not able to do it. So I'm going to try something else to get my imagination working again.

There are two projects I had put aside while I was focusing on UNDER THE DARK OF THE MOON, "Raven" and "Stranger". I'm going to focus my attention on these two projects, titled "My Soul to Keep" and "Upon a Far Distant Shore". Both projects are different from what I've written before. The first, "My Soul to Keep", concerns the citizens of a town called Coventry. It's an enclosed habitat, and as far as the six hundred citizens know, it's the entirety of their world. What they don't know is that they're nothing but lab rats in an experiment that been running for centuries. The second, "Upon a Far Distant Shore", concerns a woman who was part of a peacekeeping organization who finds herself in what appears to be an abandoned town. She has no idea where she is or how she got there, and she is unable to call for assistance.

I'm hoping that working on these two projects will help me get back to the first three and get them finished.

We'll see what happens.

ON A COLD WIND

The story of Caralynn (Carly) Adrasteia, an agent of EarthGov Security in the late twenty-second century. As an Enhanced Human, a group of humans engineered to have superior physical and mental abilities, she is subject to hatred and discrimination while continuing to work for the improvement of her people's situation. Along with her partner, Special Agent Murphy Greenfield, she is assigned to track down two escaped criminals who threaten a newly established colony. One of the criminals, Efhram Bartok, is also an Enhanced Human who wants to incite a revolution and lead the Enhanced Humans to freedom. There is a link between Carly and Bartok, one that only Carly's division director knows.

On A Cold Wind is available from Smashwords, Kindle, iTunes & NOOK

Find the links here –

http://wordboy1.wix.com/wordboyswords#!books/cnec

RAE

EarthGov Security Special Agent Kevin Martin and his partner, Probationary Agent Rachael (Rae) Mercer, thought they had been assigned an open-and-shut case. A murder had been committed on the colony of Haven and local law enforcement already had a suspect in custody, with enough evidence to ensure a conviction. Things begin to spin out of control when Rae is severely beaten and Kevin is accused of the attack. Who is trying to stop the murder investigation? What is connection between the suspect and the victim? How does the secret Rae is keeping tie into it?

Rae is available from Smashwords, Kindle, iTunes & NOOK

Find the links here –

http://wordboy1.wix.com/wordboyswords#!books/cnec

THE FAULT LIES NOT...

In the late twenty-sixth century, a serial killer roams the city of Naufolk. There is little evidence left at the scenes of the murders, and no trace of the killer shows up on any of the city’s scanners. It's up to EarthGov Security Special Agent Lin Sillo and her partner, Special Agent Vincent DeBurg, to stop him. But is there something behind the murders, something that reaches far beyond the city?

The Fault Lies Not… is available from Smashwords, Kindle, iTunes & NOOK

Find the links here –

http://wordboy1.wix.com/wordboyswords#!books/cnec

A BRIGHT SYMMETRY

A Bright Symmetry is a series of stories set over the course of a year, stories of life, death and rebirth. After more than two thousand years, immortal Scott Madigan was tired of life and its unending struggles. But an archaeological expedition leads Scott to reassess and change his life...though nothing compares to the changes undergone by his lover, Zoe Baird.

A Bright Symmetry is available from Smashwords, Kindle, iTunes & NOOK

Find the links here –

http://wordboy1.wix.com/wordboyswords#!books/cnec

CAMPFIRE STORIES

Campfire Stories is a collection of eight stories, ranging from the far distant past to the not-too-distant future. These are stories of self-discovery, exploration and duty, and the consequences of each. From a research project gone terribly wrong, to a an author finding out there's more to his childhood friend than he thought, to an investigator searching for someone who can hide in plain site...these stories show people striving for more and the consequences that brings.

The eight stories in Campfire Stories are: The End of Seconds", "Games of Life and Cold", "If You Listen Softly", "All My Yesterdays, Remembered", "Symmetry", "Signpost", "Last Light", "The Shape of the Truth"

Campfire Stories is available from Smashwords, Kindle, iTunes and NOOK

Find the links here:

http://wordboy1.wix.com/wordboyswords#!books/cnec