National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) takes place in November,
and after failing to write anything of substance all year I'm finally going to
sit down and commit myself to putting down another 50,000 words on a
novel. I've done it the last 3 years in
a row (successfully), and I'm trying for a four-time win.
This year's novel is tentatively entitled "The Wrath of
Carthage," and it is a continuation of my "West of the Warlock"
series, and a direct sequel to last year's "Unforsaken," which is
finished in a rough-draft cliffhanger fashion.
In fact, the story of "Unforsaken" leaves so many loose ends
and unfinished threads lying around that I may end up merging these two books
into one volume when it's all over, but for the moment I'm writing this as a
second "novel."
So, what's this one going to be about? Well, I don't want to give away too much, as
it also continues some unresolved issues that are revealed in "The Man Who
Shot Thomas Edison," the 3rd West of the Warlock novel that has yet to be
released (details about its prospective 2014 release will be revealed in the
Martinus Publishing Newsletter in November; to sign up, go to www.martinus.us
and click the "Newsletter Sign-Up" button on the left side of the
page).
Here's a quick blurb for The Wrath of Carthage:
The "West of the
Warlock" saga continues into the roaring 20's. An ancient relic is
uncovered, the key to unleashing an untold evil upon history. The mystic allies
of fallen Carthage lay trapped in the past, and the unwitting meddling of elven
mobsters could change the fate of the world. Earth's only chance lies in the
hands Joella Talus, Boron Grimes, their ragtag band of allies, and some old
foes. Failure means slavery and slaughter, yet to assure success, it could mean
the demise of one of their own. Dare
they make the ultimate sacrifice to assure their future's survival, or will
love condemn their world to oblivion?
This two-book set (Unforsaken/Wrath of Carthage) is not so
much a departure from the "Fantasy Western" format as a
continuation. We get to see some old
favorites like Joella Talus and Ron Grimes in old age, and see what the last 46
years have done for our heroes. It's fun
to explore what magic in the twenties would be like, and—as you might expect
from a West of the Warlock novel—we'll have appearances from some famed
historical figures (including J. Edgar Hoover and Presidential candidate Al
Smith).
So, November's going to be a busy month for me. I plan to have the backlog of Martinus
Publishing anthology submissions read and decided upon by the end of October,
so my calendar will be clear. Sometimes
I miss the days when I could just focus on my writing, and extraneous
distractions didn't stand in the way. Oh
well, at least I'll get something done next month. See you in the trenches.
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