For those of you who can't get enough of the Musketeers, check out this site: http://www.hoboes.com/FireBlade/Fiction/Dumas/Musketeers/, which includes a chapter-by-chapter ebook and links to interesting history about Alexandre Dumas and his series of books. Fascinating reading, if you like history and backstory.
A writer needs help putting a good book out, and several people helped me in the last year or two on my journey. I want to publicly thank Taylor Sisk in North Carolina and Stacie Martin in Texas for their careful reads of my drafts. Also, for professional editing, I tip my hat to Steve Parolini, noveldoctor.com, who made my book stronger with his review. I also must thank Mary Drew for copy editing my book. Her website is www.polishyourprose.com.
As progress continues on Book One, I feel almost certain there will be a 2012 release date. I am being truly optimistic. The writing and publishing business is so finicky, chances are I'll be eating my words later next year. But I remain hopeful, and I continue to enjoy hearing from you fans of Dumas who are awaiting the arrival of my books. Thanks for your support.
The movie gives me hope. It was entertaining (to me, anyway) and indicates there is still plenty of room in the market for a different take on the Dumas classic. I'd say, the new movie went in several directions that were designed to appeal to today's audiences. It was a cross between Sherlock Holmes, Pirates of the Caribbean and ... well, go and decide yourself. Then, buy my book once it's published. I've tried to track a little more closely to the classic novel while giving the characters more depth.
Blood, Love & Steel has obvious appeal to those of you who love The Three Musketeers. I wrote it because I, too, love the swashbuckling story (although critics today may dispute its narrative strength). Since adolescence, I have been partial to the plotline of Athos and his former wife, Milady. I hope BL&S will be read by those who feel the same.
But regardless of my motivation, my book is also very different than the Dumas classic in that its main storyline is a love story, complete with a beautiful heroine and love scenes. I am mild in my explicit language in those scenes, but there's no mistaking what's going on. You'll have to tell me if it works for you once you've read it! Blood, Love & Steel has been submitted to a couple of contests and will be again this fall. Mills & Boon, a division of Harlequin, has a contest this month for new voices in romance, www.romanceisnotdead.com. I will be submitting chapters of the book for recognition. I will also be re-submitting the revised book to the RWA's Golden Heart Awards in December. Cross your fingers!
Writing a book is more a function of revision. When is there enough wax? The sheen impeccable? I polish and find new spots to work. I have started conceptualizing other projects, but my first work is tightening up and getting close to publication quality.
After many weeks of tough good-byes, Asheville, NC, is no longer my home. The heat wave has not followed us to Portland. I'm excited to work from the West Coast. The views from Asheville to Oregon made me appreciate the vastness of this country. The landscapes in the Western states are indescribable. Time to get settled and start writing again.
Blood, Love and Steel needs a prequel to flesh out the relationship of Athos and Milady. Of course, I'm poised to write that story -- his infatuation, their marriage and falling out. It promises to be a little racier than my first novel but equally as satisfying.
Golden Heart, I thank you. The scores from my five judges were very positive, landing my book, which you will soon be reading, in the top quarter of the entries submitted last December in the RWA's contest for unpublished work. One judge gave me a 9! Thank you, wherever you are!
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