What’s Up Wednesday

It’s been a while, so in case all my WUW friends thought I’d dropped off the planet I thought I’d catch you up on what’s been happening. Frankly, there’s not a whole lot to report, which is partly why I haven’t joined in the WUW fun of late. But I think I have enough for a post, so here it is. For the uninitiated, What’s Up Wednesday is a weekly meme run by sister writers Jaime Morrow and Erin Funk. For information on how to join in and to see the Linky List of other WUW-ers, visit their blogs.

What I’m Reading

I finished WAR AND PEACE (and even wrote a very brief review for Goodreads). As I’ve said before, I believe the somewhat archaic translation I read from hampered my enjoyment of the story (mine was not the default version pictured on Goodreads). However, some good bits shone through, and it will be worth a re-read at some point in a more modern edition. I also read an ARC of THE STOLEN MOON, the second in Rachel Searles’ middle grade sci-fi adventure trilogy that started with THE LOST PLANET. It was a fun read and a breath of fresh air after W&P (see review HERE). I’m currently reading EVEN, a mystery/thriller by Andrew Grant. Andrew is the younger brother of Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series of novels (one of which was recently made into a movie starring Tom Cruise as Reacher). It’s a good read, and reminds me of Fleming’s James Bond novels in pace, and to an extent style. Grant does a great job of pulling you right into the story and holding your interest both in the plot and the MC. David Trevellyan is “a survivor from the shadowy world of the Royal Naval Intelligence Division,” and in this story he has just finished a job for the British government when his curiosity over a dead body in a New York alley gets him into a heap of trouble with the NYPD and the FBI. So far there’s been some mild profanity, and some violence (which includes a particularly gruesome torture scene that makes the CASINO ROYALE bottomless chair scene look tame). However, the writing and story have me hooked. Trevellyan’s an interesting protagonist too. I may well read more of this series.

What I’m Writing

At the moment I’m keeping my writing short while planning the next novel. I finished a short story that needs some work before it’s ready for showtime, but I’m letting it sit for a little while before I go back to it. If you follow Janet Reid’s blog, you’ll know I recently won one of her writing competitions (see HERE for the article announcing my win, and HERE for the blog post I wrote describing my flash fiction writing process). And if you’ve had an eye on this blog the past few weeks, you’ll know that I’ve started posting flash fiction on Fridays because who can resist a good alliteration?

What Works for Me

In this “between novels” period, I’m catching up on reading and trying to learn from good books. I’m planning a complete change of genre from the last couple of novels, so hopefully my reading over the next few months will get my head into that style, and also alert me to what works, what doesn’t, what’s been done, and where my story might fit. I have a number of story ideas, and the one I choose will be the one for which I have the most passion. The tips I pick up from my reading will help me craft that story into something I would enjoy reading.

What Else Is New

It’s that time of year: birthdays (two of my kids have birthdays in November, and my oldest turns 21 in December), Thanksgiving, and Christmas. A busy and expensive time, but a fun time. My favorite time of year, in fact. I love the atmosphere, the days getting shorter, the autumnal colors, the celebratory feel… and the food, of course. Not really new things, but that’s what else is going on in my life right now.

How are things with you?