Tuesday, July 20, 2010

A Mid-Summer Check-In

I can't believe it's mid-summer already! Ack!!

Vacation is soooo close I can feel it. Just 4 working days left and then one week away to (hopefully) sunny Prince Edward Island. We rent a cottage there for one week in the summer and I am taking with me a stack of book as well as WIPs. One is just an idea and needs fleshing out, the other (Fractured Sight) needs work before I can continue. So while the Boy and J build sand castles on the beach, I plan on putting a dent in my TBR pile and working out the kinks in FS and/or outlining the new idea.

I'm continuing to work away at ITS, and the more I write it, the more excited I get about book two which bumps two of my secondary characters, Spence and Caelie into the starring roles. Spence has a disturbing phobia towards marriage, so much so he has just declared he would rather be sacrificed to the lava gods (he's recently back from a brief sojourn on the islands). Of course that comment now has my brain in overdrive while his backstory begins to form in my mind. I already know Caelie's backstory, which is rather heartbreaking at best. It will be fun piecing together how these two will get together and figure things out.

But first I need to finish ITS and get that fired off to agents. My goal for completing it has been pushed back. I'm giving myself until the end of September. I'm making good headway and things are falling into place, so hopefully that will be a doable deadline.

In the meantime, tonight I am meeting my critique partner,
Pam Callow, for coffee so we can do a little catch up. She's been flitting about to one conference after another promoting her latest release DAMAGED and January's upcoming release INDEFENSIBLE which picks up a few months after Damaged ended.

What are everyone else's plans for the summer?

12 comments:

Janet said...

Have a wonderful vacation, Kelly - it sounds like you have some serious plans (but don't forget to build a few sandcastles yourself). Good luck with the rewrite and the new idea - your enthusiasm for both jump off the page, so I'm sure you'll accomplish your goals.

And enjoy coffee with Pam!

Mid-summer? ACK is right!

Anonymous said...

Enjoy your upcoming vacation! :)

Julianne MacLean said...

Have a great vacation! As far as plans for the rest of the summer, I already took 2 vacations, so now I need to get some writing done.

Unknown said...

Kelly, hope you have great writing and great weather in PEI.

I planned to finish two short contemporaries this summer. Since I'm still working on #1. I have a lot of writing to do.(I'm laughing hysterically as I write the last sentence)

Jennie Marsland said...

Hi Kelly, PEI sounds like a great plan. I'm counting the days till August, when I will be free for a month. I'm planning lots of down time, beach time and cottage time, but I also want to get in a lot of work on my Halifax Explosion WIP, Shattered. I'd love to have the rough draft done by Christmas. Have a great vacation!

Pamela Callow said...

Oh that picture of PEI is so gorgeous - have a wonderful time, Kelly. It will surely get the writing mojo on fire. Sounds like ITS is really taking shape, and to have your inspiration for book 2 already percolating is even better. Looking forward to catching up tonight :) Then I'll be head down working on TATTOOED.

Julia Phillips Smith said...

PEI sounds mighty fine. Have a renewing time reading and figuring out plotlines.

I'm on my week off right now. So far it's been heavenly.

Patricia Preston said...

I love your new blog look! Summer plans are to finish Lady Silver and enjoy the hot weather.

Melissa Amateis said...

As I'm not a summer gal, I am ecstatic that summer is halfway over! Fall brings football (a BIG deal in this university town) and cooler temperatures and a chance to snuggle under blankets by the fireplace. Ah...happiness!

Have fun on your vacation!

Unknown said...

Sounds like a vacation in heaven, Kelly. I traditionally take mine near the end of the summer--long after my brain's best-before-date, so I'm trying to hold out. I find the summers so darned fast. My own writing goals have been pushed back to - such is life - but I'm planning the agent hunt again in another few weeks...after RWA. That and try and finish my WIP (that's more of a hope than a goal right now). All the best on your agent hunt Kelly! Fingers and toes crossed.

Stella MacLean said...

Hi Kelly,
Sounds like you have a great vacation plan. So far I've spent my time getting up close and personal with the medical community--a summer event for me it seems.
Keep us posted on how your vacation is going.
Stella

Lexi said...

Happy vacation, Kelly!