Me 2

Well, Let's see if we can answer a few people's questions. This may seem more like a brain dump.
I recovered from my health issues. My partner had sever health issues which we now seem to be past.
I have a newer real life job that demands a lot of my time which seriously impacts my writing time.

I love my books and characters, but the honest truth is that I've had to accept that I can make a whole lot more money doing work related things that I'm good at than I make off of my stories.

Let's not forget that I did drop a short story here along the way. (I know it's not enough.)

That being said, I have not abandoned anything.
I've been honestly working on Lee 14 for a long long time. I'm kind of embarrassed by how long. It is edging closer to being done.

I spend time jotting down notes for the next Drew and Lacy story and lots of other stories..
I ponder continuing Dress Code.
I have ideas for continuing other stories including Sorority House Fire.

I could dump something out, but that is not my style.
Each story and character has a certain integrity that I feel obligated to stick to. Stories should flow and not be a scene dump. I want you to buy into the characters. I love stories where I'm excited for the characters or I can cry as I'm along for the ride in an emotional scene. I try to incorporate those things into what I write. Based on comments along the way, I think I've succeeded.

That being said, I can't drop something that doesn't meet my personal standards. I do not use or want people to read and assist with editing what I write. I have my own system.

I've had the bones and body of Lee 14 done for months. It's the little things that make you buy into their lives that need to be filled in. The day to day interactions or the evolution of their thoughts are what I believe make readers want to come back for more.

Why does Lee continue down this road? What do he and Darby expect in the future? How will their lives change from what they are now? What will they do after college? What careers will they have? College students think about that. Friends move on. Everyone's life evolves. I have to include that in the story.

How could Drew's parents not know what is going on in his life? What could be the next adventure? Have I pushed the character so far and so fast that I can't find another reasonable path for a story that will interest readers? To me the stories have to flow and I have them in a weird place. (That being said, I have 30-40% of the next story written)

In Sorority House Fire, Robin has been initiated into the sorority, gone along with the flow and seems to be building a relationship with the girl he likes. Now his sister arrives. She clearly isn't staying, but what will her reaction to all this be? Is she a friend or a witch? What troubling steps will Robin be exposed to in the coming days as college progresses? How does a boy navigate the sorority life? Has he truly realized yet what he has agreed to? Doubtful.

Let's not forget the Tutus Too. Their careers are flying and I've left them hanging in the wind. They have to go back to school or dad is going to cut them off. What about those crazy fans?

In that Dress Code story, it seems inevitable that Terry(i) is going to evolve more into the secretarial role. What's next there? What if Terri got promoted to be the assistant for some top executive? Maybe the executive is a jerk. Could said executive have the same problems that Terry had with the dress code?

Jordan, his girl Sandy, his boy Nick, and apparently a new secret admirer. Panty club begs for another story.

And what about Riley, the new teacher at an exclusive girls school, forced to wear the women's teaching uniform since they don't hire men. <== Wait! What? Oh yeah, that one's not out there yet. Sorry.

These characters live in my mind. I have years of adventures for almost all of them. I simply don't have the time to write them all out in a form that is acceptable to publish.

I go to a lot of author talks and our local library hosts the largest author event series in the country with hundreds of national authors every year. I think they had close to 200 events last year with over 300,000 people attending. I'm always stunned when authors say that they seldom go back and read their stories after publishing. I love to read my own stories. I figure that if I don't enjoy re-reading them, why should other people.

To my fans, I love you. My characters love you. I love my characters.

I hope to have something out soon, but as I have said way to often, soon is a nebulous idea.
Thanks for thinking about me and my books.

Thanks for Reading
DD