It's Got a Few Adverbs

Okay, so long time no post. I have been doing the absolute bare minimum in every area of my life, for the past few weeks, and I have no better excuse than that I have been finishing my second book. Finishing. As in, I am, as of this morning, done with the rough draft! Now the manuscript heads off to my critique group for gross- and fine-tuning. Shooting for another June release. Title still TBD, although I have a front-runner.

And, in case you haven't been following the dribs and drabs in this blog, the book is the --sigh--sequel. (Nathan Bransford's disparaging of sequels notwithstanding.). It picks up almost right where MOURNING BECOMES CASSANDRA left off, and there are old friends and new.

I must say practice helps. I think this one is better. Or at least better-written.

I still do some egregious things, according to Elmore Leonard and his list of writing no-nos. For example, I cannot break myself from using the occasional adverb modifying the word "said," she said apologetically. I also don't always use "said" as the sole verb marking dialogue, she pointed out. On the plus side, I don't tend to begin books with weather and several readers have complained that I am all too sparing with descriptions.

Hope you all like it. When I've got a cover designed I'll get a chapter up on Scribd for ya.