© 2011 by Joyce Mason
All Rights Reserved
In case you’re wondering what on Earth is going on
here, see No
Small Change on The Radical Virgo. During October and November, I’ll be doing
short posts to take you along for the wild ride of rewriting and getting my
humorous, metaphysical mystery book ready for submission to the St.
Martin’s Press annual First Mystery Novel Contest.
Peeling out,
Joyce
Greetings, as I skid to a
stop in front of my new home for the next two months. The address is OMG! How
Am I Going to Get This Done by November 30th?
The artwork in this post is
a cover concept for my book. Of course, if it’s published by anyone but me, I’m
unlikely to have the final say about the cover art. If money were no object, it
would have an intricate drawing of some of the more wacky costumes at The
Crystal Ball. That’s the costume party where much of the action in my book takes
place.
The Crystal BallThey’ve loved each other since they were teenagers. He’s a chain-smoking, recently retired FBI agent—a crusty guy who has seen it all. She’s an astrologer and president of a society dedicated to increasing longevity—as New Age as he is Old School. A New Year’s Eve costume party brings them together in a way neither of them would have ever imagined in a race against time to prevent a crime.They’re the new Nick and Nora Charles! –Carolina Montague, Author
My first job this weekend
is to reread the original version of the book I wrote in 1990. Yes, I said 1990—no
typo! Originally entitled Life's Companions, I wrote it for a contest Ted Turner sponsored. Obviously, I did not win or would already be a famous novelist. :) The contest had some sort of “ideas that will change
the world” concept. I set it aside for a decade-and-a-half before picking it up
again in 2005. That’s when I took a mystery writing class and saw ways I could
redirect it that would work better and be much more exciting.
Timing is everything (said
the Capricorn Moon). I figure if there’s anything to Saturn cycles, at 21 years
old, this book is three-quarters of the way to its Saturn Return. It’s
certainly time for it to grow up and leave home in the form of an emancipated
book, not some manuscript still stuck in my computer and several notebooks full
of research and old versions.
At least I proved to
myself that I can finish a book. Now, to refinish it!
Till next week!
~~~
~~~
Photo Credits: Disco Ball - © Maxim
Loskutnikov - Fotolia.com, Carnival Mask - piai - Fotolia.com
