I stopped writing in November of 2016 after I had started work on my new novel, but I'm back at it now. I had completed the Prologue and Chapter 1 before I took a break. Now I've completed Chapter 2 and just started work on Chapter 3.
It wasn't easy getting back into writing, especially considering that up until I took the time off, I was spending six to eight hours a day, five days a week, working on my novels for almost three and a half years straight. I had established a rhythm, but I was also tired. The rest did me a lot of good!
I think part of the reason that I needed the time was that Black Grotto was such an all-consuming project, and this new book, I knew, would be even more so. It is, but now that I'm working on it again, I also know it's going to be a lot of fun!
Just as a reminder, M is going to be a combination of science fiction and fantasy. The two main characters will come from medieval times, but the bulk of the novel will occur in the near future, beginning in 2022, and include several countries and an episode of international intrigue.
Below, I've written down the first paragraph of the Prologue, just to give you a feel for how the book begins. This novel, as with Black Grotto, will take the reader on a long journey with several intermingling plot lines and some very compelling and unexpected characters.
So...here's your first look at M!
Prologue
She had taken the
last of his secrets as her own and had drained and exhausted her aged lover. He
was stretched out in her arms and could barely open his eyes any longer. His
features were brutally drawn and haggard from the suffering she had caused, and
his skin was the color of tallow. There was no doubt that he was slipping away.
She held him close and talked softly as she gave him wine mixed with herbal
potions to ease his passing. But despite her acts of tenderness, terrible guilt
emerged over what she had done. She assuaged herself with the truth that her
love for him had not been false, and that even though his sight and magic had
left him long ago, he still possessed considerable knowledge that needed to be
shared. Yes, it would cause him pain, but it had to be done before it, too, was
lost.
