Mission Accomplished! Achievement Unlocked! A Novel in 8 Weeks!

Some of you who also follow my social media in addition to the blog may be aware that I have been working this summer to write my first novel. 

Surprising, right? Most people just assume that I've written novels with 35 years of professional writing behind me, but no, my career has primarily been in short stories with a few novelettes and even fewer novellas. So, for me, this was a big deal. 

I've started several novels before but never finished them. 

However, I'm thrilled to say that this one is done. Finished. Finito. The end. Over and out. 

If you've been a regular reader of the blog, you may also know that I use mock-up covers to help keep me focused and excited about my stories. For this new novel, called Another Dangerous Driver, here is the mock-up I put together. 

Not that I'd ever be one to try to get snotty or above my station as a write (/sarcasm), but my goal for this novel is to find not only a sweet spot between cozy and hard-boiled, but also to be as true to Fitzgerald's characters as possible and capture the social consciousness of Zora Neale Hurston and Langston Hughes in terms of the treatment of women and minorities, sort of like Gary Phillips and Walter Mosley did with hard-boiled in their mysteries. That intersection of Agatha Christie, Raymond Chandler, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Langston Hughes is a tricky place to aim for. (And that means a lot of room to fail, sadly. We'll have to see.)

Just to tease you a bit, Another Dangerous Driver picks up the story of Jordan Baker, yes, THAT Jordan Baker from The Great Gatsby. During a golf tournament in Charleston, while trying to deal with the emotional fallout from what she called The New York Incident, and the subtle trauma it has triggered, she stumbles across a body floating in the water hazard that brings all the drama crashing back into her mind. Of course, when she is implicated in the crime, she must try to solve the mystery to clear her name. 

Folks, just in case you don't realize the magnitude of the joy I'm experiencing right now, I gave myself a goal to write a novel during my summer break. I'm a teacher and I get roughly eight weeks of summer break. I am pleased to say that it is done. 

I have graduated from novel starter to novel finisher. 

Viva la Sean! (And thanks, Jordan. I couldn't have done it if you hadn't been so much fun to write.)

Note: For those interested in the "behind the scenes" stuff, as I'm pictured Jordan Baker for the novel, I saw a lot more of Lois Chiles from 1974 than Elizabeth Debicki from 2013. A large part of that is because Debicki looks more like Miss Fischer, and if I see her that way, then that colors my voice when I write her. Her attitude also comes more from the 1974 film as well since Jordan's role was severely downplayed, in my opinion, in the 2013 movie -- regardless of how amazing the actress was. Of course, the bulk of the attitude comes from F. Scott Fitzgerald's book and my own speculation on how Jordan might have changed after the events of New York.

Exploring My First Novel -- Meet Stephen Ramsay!

I'm always happy to share interviews with new writers, but I'm particularly happy to share this one. Why?

Because this one features Stephen Ramsay. I met Stephen when he was a card gamer at the comic book and gaming story I used to manage. I only discovered later that he was a writer, and I'm pleased to announce that his first novel, Shadowgrave, is finally available. 

Tell us a bit about your latest work.

My latest work is the story of the young necromancer Abaddon Delekran who, after nearly being killed by his master for a power he cannot possibly understand, is forced into a new and unknown world. He seeks power in any way and place possible to stop his former master, Radax, for when he returns. Along the way, he learns of his dark origins and what the possible ramifications of those same origins could mean for those around him.

What are the themes and subjects you tend to revisit in your work?

Recurring themes and subjects? For this work, I’d say the loss of innocence, the sense of adventure amidst the constant of tragedy in life, and finding friends despite danger and death.

What would be your dream project?

My dream project is to write a full-blown epic. A saga that spans several books and can potentially even inspire others.

If you have any former project to do over to make it better, which one would it be, and what would you do?

I have no former projects as of right now that I would revisit to improve. Perhaps that might happen later in my literary career. Heck, maybe later down the road I would say that I would improve my first work (Being this one).

What inspires you to write?

Well I’d have to say that I’m inspired by all the authors I’ve read over the years as well as my time that I was submitting to the literary magazine at my old college. And of course, playing a few years of Dungeons and Dragons helped a little too.

What writers have influenced your style and technique?

As far as writers are concerned, influences for me would include authors such as Stephen King, T.A. Barron, J.R.R. Tolkien, and J.K. Rowling just to name a few. I grew up with these authors and it’s thanks to their works I even began reading novels in the first place.

Where would you rank writing on the "Is it an art or it is a science continuum?" Why?

I’d say writing is more of an art than anything. While there is a science to it, that part of it mostly involves what you could learn in school. Now it’s an art in the same sense that an artist paints. Works of art that hang in galleries are an artist’s vision of the world. Well books are the same for writers, it’s an art, creating a new world for themselves as well as the audience they pander to.

Any other upcoming projects you would like to plug?  

As far as upcoming projects are concerned….I do have 2 more longer-length novels planned for the Shadowgrave line over the next few years. And after this series is done, I do have another longer, untitled series in the works.

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For more information and to pick up a copy of Shadowgrave for yourself, click here.