The Novelist in Me

I finished another manuscript not too long ago. Again. Then, you know… I said I was going to strap in and find myself an agent. It’s LONG overdue. I now have FIVE completed manuscripts in various drafts that cover nearly every genre out there.

As I look back at these five books, I see tremendous growth and change in my style. I’m now very very proud of the work I’ve done and what I have accomplished with each title. I’ve experimented. I’ve worked outside my comfort zone. I have challenged myself. I tackled long LONG form and then chased it with the shortest short-form novel I could manage. I am seeing new things in my words and taking more risks. I am at a great place with my writing, and it’s time for a literary agent and a publisher.

Sure as shit, though, as soon as I started querying agents, the bug bit me again. I’m already 10,000 words into another novel.

Querying is difficult and time-consuming. They all ask for the website, so I may as well send them here. I’ll leave this post pinned for a while. When an agent makes it this far, here’s my list of current titles for review:

The Seven Isaacs – Modern Sci-fi / cloning (self-published): Available on Amazon

The Samurai and the Mountain – Historical Fiction (unpublished): Based on an actual incident at the Ashio Copper Mine in late 19th century Japan, this novel follows the journey of Shohei, a retired samurai deeply devoted to his family. As the copper mining company ravages the land and lives of nearby farmers, the Momiji family leads a peaceful protest for their right to a clean environment. However, in the ensuing chaos, Shohei’s world shatters, leaving him with nothing but grief and a thirst for vengeance. (105,000 words)

Alice the Fifth – Modern Sci-Fi (self-published) – available on Amazon

Old Bills – Crime Novel / with LGBTQ+ storyline (unpublished): Old Bills is the story of an old man, Bill “August” Hansen, who spent twenty-seven long years imprisoned in a federal penitentiary. Upon his unexpected release, he confides in his close friend, retired prison guard Bill Curtis, about the existence of eighteen and a half million dollars he’s cleverly stashed away, igniting a thrilling cross-country trip as they are hunted by modern criminals to find the legendary stash. (101,000 words)

Two Moons Over Brooklyn – Speculative Fiction/Mild Sci-fi/Supernatural (unpublished): Two Moons tells the tale of what happens when an asteroid destined for the moon we know and love collides with a hidden moon that has secretly and silently orbited in the shadows for eons.  As the moons drift apart, a revelation of cosmic consequence emerges—the delicate balance between the living and the dead has been disrupted. Souls once bound for the heavens are now earthbound, stuck on our world. (98,000 words)

Two Moons explores the lives and afterlives of a diverse ensemble cast of characters, including a stoner literary reader, a psychic with self-proclaimed (and nonexistent) abilities, a 72-year-old grandmother, a precocious (and dead) 9-year-old boy, and an unlucky-in-love astrophysicist.  With every passing day of two moons, each and every one of their lives slowly begins to thread together for a higher cosmic purpose.  Helping the deceased move on.

The Child of the Art – Epic Space Opera (unpublished): Elarra Dane has been slapped with the moniker “Destroyer of Planets” and marked for death by the government. This epic tale covers the beginning of her life as well as her setting out on her own for the first time in concurrent storylines that drive toward the same purpose- finding out why planets keep imploding anytime she sets foot on one. Elarra, with a team of misfits, has to face her past once and for all and uncover the truth about her mysterious power. (151,000 words)

Be Spartan – literary fiction/Autofiction/Memoir (unpublished): Mikey Paulson has been bullied, beaten and shamed for most of his life. Be Spartan chronicles his senior year in high school as he comes to terms with his sexuality, getting mixed up with the wrong crowd, dog sled racing, track meets, romance, and finding his voice amidst the grunge boom in the early 1990s… and his relationship with a killer. (85,000 words)

The Sisters of The Art – Book Two – Epic Space Opera (false start): An idea is in place for a possible sequel, with a few chapters written, continuing the adventures of both young and old Elarra Dane.

Lola – Speculative Fiction (currently writing): Lola tells the story of a troubled young man, in the near future, a suicide attempt survivor, who is prescribed an A.I. powered wellness companion and how their relationship develops as the technology changes over time.