Getting Close!

Years ago, my family started vacationing near Mendocino from time to time. When it came to find a location for a novel about the opera, for some reason Mendocino stood out to me. Flash forward many years and many revisions, and this story is getting closer and closer to seeing the light of day. And I'm getting excited!

View of Mendocino from the water

Marina Carson Bridgepoint--like Megan Gamble from my previous novel--is a singer, but of a very different type. Marina, you see, sings opera. Or she did, until her career was derailed by the September 11th attacks.

This novel explores what it takes to drive a big talent away from her gifts, and--even more importantly--what it takes to bring her back to music once again.

I'm sending out drafts to final readers in a couple of days, and then after a quick brush up, it will go on to my proofreader. And only now, at this late stage, did I finally have an insight into one tiny detail from this forthcoming book. You see, Marina has a piece of jewelry which is important to her. She wears it because it gives her strength, and it reminds her of some important things and people. As the writer, I knew that this item was important to her and to the story, but only today did I understand how my muse wanted to weave it into the greater story.

I made one change to the detailed description of this piece of jewelry, and now it resonates in a very meaningful way with another major element of Marina's journey.

One thing which is absolutely magical about writing is the way the muse--that wonderful subconscious source of inspiration and ideas--supplies ideas, insists that they'll work, and then doesn't bother disclosing exactly how. As a writer, I just blindly trust myself, and keep going. And then, suddenly, the reward. The insight I need to tie things up in a pretty bow for you, the reader.

I'm looking forward to sharing this with you!