Tempus Fugit

There's really nothing like time to give things perspective. Winemakers know this. So do lovers. The difference is that winemakers learn from time, lovers forget. In the last post to this blog, I talked about a new novel, and how I was committed to it. That was pushed aside, though not for a new lover. I'm not sure of the story I was trying to tell in that book, and that's ultimately what quashed the energy. But what really happened was this book, The Innkeeper's Husband, and the ripple effect it had on my other writing.
I wanted this book to have a larger commercial audience than my first publisher could provide. I knew--I know--the book has more commercial appeal. But I thought I owed the publisher another book. So I dropped the novel and began working furiously on a new book, a compilation of my writing, something that could be used as a primer in creative writing classes. My thought was this: get the new book (working title: Creative Writing in the Real World) published, satisfy the second book option of my existing contract, then move on to finding a home for The Innkeeper's Husband.
I put the new book together quickly, in about a month. Collecting my previously published work, and organizing it into a coherent volume of writing that could be used as a tool liberated me in ways unexpected. For example, I never paused to examine what I'd written, but when I did, a pattern emerged: I'd spent as much time writing creative nonfiction as I'd spent writing fiction. That surprised me.
So now I have two new books to deal with, and it turns out that I don't owe the publisher another book, so I've got to find homes for both of them. It the kind of thing that simultaneously perplexes and excites me. There's a couple of more steps before I can start looking for representation for The Innkeeper's Husband. I need Chantal to read through it for accuracy and readability. Then I'll have a pro, like my friend and editor Nancy McCurry go through it for content and other high fallutin' stuff. Then it might be ready. I think this book will have wide appeal. Until then, I'll try to keep this space updated on the progress.