Slowing Down...

I'm not going to lie. This full time writing gig isn't easy! It's been a huge adjustment: some of it good, some of it bad.

The good part is not hearing the alarm go off first thing in the morning and rolling out of bed to trudge across Austin to a job that I had - quite frankly- burned out on. I am nocturnal by nature and it was really hard going to bed just when my creative juices would get flowing. To have the luxury of not being ruled by the clock has been awesome!

The bad part is getting back into the writing flow after the seriously crappy year of 2010. A lot happened in 2010 that impacted my life in a negative way and my writing seriously suffered as I struggled with health issues. Trying to get back into the creative flow of things has not been easy at times. I'm still trying to find my old rhythm.

When I first left my day job, I was pretty much like GIR in this clip from Invader Zim.



I had revisions to complete, the first pass of THE FIRST DAYS to read, and a project to get together for my agent. I was putting in extremely long hours before the computer, sometimes 12 hours or more. I felt like I was running at full throttle.

It was pretty much inevitable that I was going to have to slow down at some point. That time is now. Though I am working diligently on the sequel to THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE, I have realized in the last week or so that a lot of that work has nothing to do with writing. I've been doing a lot of research (still waiting for a book on the history of Budapest to arrive) and a lot of deep thinking. Since it has been several years since I wrote the first novel, I have had to revisit the original, picking up plot threads, looking over notes, and reorienting my inner world to the early 1800's. Now I have to weave all those plot threads together into the tapestry of the sequel. So far it has been going quite well and I'm very pleased.

THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE is my personal favorite. Something about Lady Glynis and her struggles as a vampire bride of Dracula felt magical when I first wrote her story. She was not always an easy character to deal with. A lot of times her actions would be counter to what I wanted her to do. But a well-formed character has a way of surprising a writer and oftentimes I would immediately realize her actions perfectly suited her personality. In the first book, she was not always likable, but she was a determined little thing and I really liked that about her.

In the second book I'm definitely witnessing her evolution as a person and as a vampire as she strikes out to create her own life. She has a paradoxical nature that I find both frustrating and refreshing. Though she definitely wants to live an unconventional life where she makes her own decisions, she is also still tied to her aristocratic roots. I think its her complexity that I enjoy most of all.

So though I am slowing down just a little to enjoy my new lifestyle, I'm also working on creating a fantastic new tale for my fans to enjoy.