It’s nice to have a blog for this kind of thing, because putting it out into the world helps keep me accountable for the writing I still want to do. So, without further ado, this is what I’ve been up to recently.

The Saints Go Dying.

As part of a strategy to try to get people reading the book, I’ve been inviting book review bloggers to review the novel. The results have been very encouraging. Here are some short blurbs:

“Some of the books I have read recently have been … well … for lack of better word … lacking. Oh no, not this one. Erik had us reading every word till the end. It was such a thrilling ending.” — Tammy Gould, News & Reviews.

“The Saints Go Dying is a quick read that packs a suspense-filled punch to the end” — The Book Diva’s Reads.

And it’s begun to affect the ratings on Amazon itself. What used to be just 3 reviews from friends now has real life reviews:

So that’s been pretty great. I’m excited that people have been reading it! No discernable change in sales because of it, but my main goal is to get ready things set up for the release of The Marinara Murders. Which brings me too…

The Marinara Murders.

I can say for sure that I will be publishing this book to the Kindle by the end of the year. Look for a late November release (I have a few things on my plate before then).

But in some ways, a late November release will be kind of perfect, because the book is set during the week before Thanksgiving.

I’ll spend some time in between now and then finishing my edits and preparing the actual book (formatting, etc). That means I’ll have a cover to unveil sometime in the next couple months too! Working with Mary on that right now.

But since this only has some last polishes, I still need a writing project. Which brings me too …

The Lead Cloak (my working title).

Yes, I do have a lot going on right now. But writing even 20 minutes a day helps me clear my head. It gives me something to think about as I fall asleep or have a few quiet minutes in the car. As I mentioned briefly before, I’ve been thinking about an idea for a science fiction novel for a few years. I finally decided to see how it actually looked on the page. This is normally a good test for me to see if an idea actually has enough legs to be turned into a full-length novel.

And the book is just pouring out of me. I don’t get to it as often as I’d like, but when I do, I’m really feeling it. Mary read the first draft of the first 40 pages and encouraged with me with great urgency to finish the book so she can find out what happens next. That also has spurred me on.

I don’t know when I’ll finish it, but I’m having so much fun writing it, that I hope it takes me at least a little while. 🙂