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I know it's been a while so let me go ahead and jump right into the big news.
My second novel, A Dark Roux, has an official release month! Come November of this year, everyone will be able to pick up my southern gothic tale of siblinghood and ancestral bonds. Below is a nice little blurb letting y'all know what this book is about.
"Beneath the black waters of the Louisiana bayou hides a world of dark mysticism. A world steeped in superstition and the decay of family legacies. A world Rhiannon LeBeau thought she’d left behind fifteen years ago after a summer of tragedy and horror.
But following the death of their mother, Rhiannon LeBeau and her younger brother Rhett find themselves drawn back to their crumbling ancestral home deep in the sugarcane farms of Terrebonne Parish. A place full of family secrets and lost memories that will force both siblings to come face to face with the demons of their past…and present.
Because something has been waiting for their return. Something with a long memory and a debt to collect. Something tied to the bayou in blood. Something that intends to make sure Rhiannon and Rhett never leave again."
I can safely say that this book was my little problem child. The story itself went through countless rewrites and revisions to the plotline. There were so many times I stopped and restarted it, trying to find the right formula for these characters and events. When it finally came together, it did so quickly and the pieces seemed to fit as though there was never any doubt in the first place. The book is now in the official editing process with the publisher, and I can't wait for everyone to see its final form. I'm extremely proud of it and hope you all enjoy it.
Of course, just because a new novel is on the horizon doesn't mean I want to forget about my firstborn. The Broken Places is still doing relatively well, so much better than I could have ever hoped for a first-time author on a small press. The book has also given me the opportunity to branch out into new experiences such as podcasts and interviews. This is big for me. I don't really like talking about myself very much, but these platforms have created a situation where I need to. And from that discomfort has come a stronger understanding of who and how I want to present both my work and myself to the world at large.
This has also been bolstered by the group of writers who I've come to know in the past few months who have provided kinship and advice as we all go through this process together. Putting yourself out there is not easy, especially when you have something as personal as a book subjected to the thoughts and critiques of the public at-large. I'm especially indebted to MJ Mars, Andrew Nahjberg, and Will Gray (authors of The Suffering, The Mobius Door, and The Devil Within Us All respectively) for everything they've done to help me and promote The Broken Places with all the vigor and passion they have. If I could give any advice to new authors, it would be to find yourself a support system within the profession. People you trust, people you respect, and people who respect you back. Writing can be quite a lonely profession, but it doesn't have to be.
In terms of what I'm working on next, I think I'm going to spend the next few months soaking in the (hopefully) continued success of The Broken Places while working with the editor and cover designer for A Dark Roux. I will also be working on rewrites and changes in the story and structure of my third novel. I would like to begin the draft by the end of the summer, but I want to make sure everything is in place before I do. I don't want to get 50K words into a draft and realize the story has nowhere to go. Besides, I haven't even decided which of the stories I have in my head will be the next to find its way to paper. But one of them inevitably will, and I'm excited to once again step out onto another journey.
