I have just (this morning) finished the First Final Draft of my latest, Mourningtide. That means I’ve filled in holes, the narrative flows, I’ve found most basic mistakes, and I’m satisfied with it as it stands at this moment.
It also means that I’ll be doing a beta read (and perhaps inflicting it on associates to do the same) and will be tweaking and deepening and possibly, coming up with another title.
My earlier works were over ten years in the making. That is to say, I finished them, copyrighted them, sent them around and then went into a dry spell. During the time I tried to decide what to do with them I picked at them, re-edited them, deepened them… They are in good shape.
But I don’t have ten years to spend on this one. Actually, it came together more quickly than the others (thank you, plotting-by-the-seat-of-my-pants) and I think it will be a year’s project, since it started November 1.
It will be available in Kindle, but I’m also thinking of Smashwords (and the others), and I’ll have it available in paperback, too.
Whew! I’ll be missing these characters, but I am finding it easier to move on now.
Monthly Archives: July 2012
Reviews
As an example, the fact that a printed book with the standard format of full-justified margins has some extra spaces between the words is not really an issue pertaining to the writing and probably should not be in the review. Specific pros and cons are appropriate: ‘I just couldn’t get into it’ is valid, but it is a good idea to expand on why you could not ‘get into it’. ‘It just did not seem to be about anything’ is another nebulous comment that needs clarification to be valid. If the story supposedly concerns organized crime, ghosts, and the death of the main character, it would seem that a lot should be going on. Why does the reader have a sense of nothing? Was it a flaw in the writing? Or simply a case of indigestion?
If a book is described as being in one category – erotica, let us say – and you read it and decide that it fits more properly into the cozy mystery category, is that a basis to downgrade the story? It may be poor erotica (“None of the characters so much as winked at the others!”) but is it a poor Cozy Mystery? And what if the book claims more than one category? One of my books has the following tags in an online listing: historical fiction, adventure, mystery, good vs evil, mystical, supernatural. It fits all of them, being set in an extensively researched era, involving some mysticism, with supernatural overtones, with the hero fighting evil. Should it be marked down for having one or another of these features? It is something to think through when you are reviewing.
Interview on Jenna Johnson’s blog today!
Writer and illustrator Jenna Johnson has honored me with an interview on her blog today. You can find it HERE
The interview concerns
..And while you’re there, do check out her work!
In The Works – Lord of the Two Lands

Herihor stopped and stared.
A torch lay in a shallow pottery bowl, spilling light across the wall’s carved relief: Pharaoh lunged forward, his fist clenched on his foe’s upraised arm, the swing of his war mace caught at the moment before it descended. Movement – emotion: Pharaoh triumphant. It was magnificent, vibrant, awe-inspiring, from the king’s jutting jaw to the despairing faces of his foes. The dynamic thrust of the leg, driving into the ground, brought his eyes down in a diagonal to a figure at the carving’s feet.
Graphics Work
I do graphics in a small way. I’ve always enjoyed designing things… the play of color. Unfortunately, I have the enjoyment and a bit of a knack, but to actually invent something is a bit beyond me. So I play with images and arrangements and color.
This image represents eight hours of work. It was a challenge in view of the sheer amount of images involved in making it up and the difficulty inherent in putting them together in a harmonious whole, but I’m pleased. (or…perhaps it’s just that I’m tired).
Interview With Laurie’s Paranormal Thoughts
Laurie Jenkins has a book review blog that is beautifully set up and well run (click on the image go to to it):
She handles regular and paranormal books, and today (July 5, 2012) I was privileged to be a featured author with A Killing Among the Dead – classified as paranormal because it contains a ghost.
Here is the link to her page:
http://lauriethoughts-reviews.blogspot.com/2012/07/killing-among-dead-by-diana-wilder.html
Dealing with Laurie was a wonderful, fun experience; her blog is entertaining, engaging and interesting!
Thank you, Laurie for letting me be a part of it!