February 21, 2021

A new hope (sorry George)

Where does time go? 2021 is rushing forward as if it is deliriously delighted to escape the embrace of its predecessor and we're hurtling through February into March. In January, I promised a fortnight break between posts - ummm make that six weeks then...

The writer in me was subsumed by the educator in recent weeks, but school is up and running, and students and teachers are settling into the familiar routines, so I can return to the projects in my 'other' life. I am working only four days a week this year, so Fridays will become a focussed writing day.

Currently, I returned to another edit of Girlie, the novel set in 1940s/50s South Australia based with some facsimilitude on my mother's teen to early twenties life. The purpose of the edit is to remove any glaring mistakes/typos and adjust expression. This novel is ready to submit, so I've started researching potential publishers. Last year, in haste, I submitted Girlie for consideration in a Writers' Week competition with a publishing contract on offer from Wakefield Press, but it didn't win. It was a long shot, considering I hadn't even shared the draft with beta readers at that stage. I was distracted by other projects thereafter. I will approach Wakefield Press again with the manuscript through the normal submission channels because it would be apt for the novel to be published by a South Australian company. If there's no luck there, I'll cast a wider net.

The second novel in The Last Wizard series, Chasse's Song, is finished, including second edit, and artist Kirsi Salonen has drafted an amazing cover design. I have an early draft of the cover and include it in this post only to demonstrate the artistic process. Kirsi is developing a fantastic image of Chasse's little brother, Jaysin, with wolves, a talent Jaysin will extend in the third book. I am astounded by how masterfully Kirsi works with light and can't wait to see the final piece.

​I'm predicting the edit of Girlie will be done before the next post, so I will move into the third book in The Last Wizard series. As posted in January, I started the third book - a tentative 2000 words so far - but I'm feeling the characters and the world emerging confidently. The tale moves ahead three more years, making Chasse and Tamesan young adults and Jaysin a 15yo emerging sorcerer. I'm keen to get into this one.

One less lunatic at the helm of world politics isn't enough by far, but 2021 has a sense of hope as vaccines emerge and some people's lives regain a semblance of normality. Let's see where the next phase in this writing journey goes.