March 4, 2015

Hi Everyone:

     About two weeks ago, while I was between revising the third volume of my trilogy, Adventures of Silent Sam, and sending out queries to Literary Agents for representation on my novel, The Unvarnished Truth, and urging my publisher to expedite the release of "Alex, Peanut Butter, and Me"; I came across this terrific quote from the author, Mavis Gallant:
      
                      "Writing is like a love affair:  The beginning is the best part."

     I jotted it down on a Post-It and now it sits firmly attached to my computer screen. The more I thought about it, the truer it sounded. It became clear to me that it was trumpeting a message that was far too clear and poignant to ignore, so I dusted off my trusty keyboard and immersed myself in a brand new project. You might well ask if it is a romance or at least a love story. Either, would be only too poetic, but alas, no such luck. It's a family saga in which the main character, age seventy, is beginning to experience cognitive issues and recognizes, that for all his wealth, he must face end of life decisions. The working title for this, my 13th manuscript. is [Are you ready for this? May I hear a drumroll, please.]
                                      "Where There is a Will . . . . There's a Relative"
     Now don't go rushing out to Barnes & Noble or to Amazon.com to get a copy. I'm a long, long way from publication. In fact, if you have been following my blog you know what a struggle I've been having to find a Literary Agent in the hope of getting some major publishing house to consider one of my manuscripts.
     So far, all I have is a working title and the first eleven chapters. And I'm here to tell you that Mavis Gallant is right, writing is like a love affair. I've never felt more alive than I've been while putting together these initial chapters. Will the beginning turn out to be the best part of the affair? I guess I won't know the answer to that until I reach the end of my quest. But like a love affair, I can feel myself being seduced by the promise of the main characters. Will their allure pull me deep into the plot? I have no idea, but I find myself pushing other literary concerns aside to concentrate on this, my great new love.
     As they used to say on the radio soaps, Stay tuned for further developments.
                   Josh