Back to the Manuscript and a Few Book Recommendations

The fourth book in the John Ross Boomer Lit series is history as Make Room for Family was published on Feb. 1 by Wings ePress.

Now I'm working on the first rewrite of the fifth book. As noted in previous posts, I wrote the first draft during National Novel Writing Month in November. I let it sit for more than a month, then I opened it back on and reread the manuscript, only taking a few notes to keep everything straight. The purpose was to see if the story flowed or was a trainwreck. It nearly went off the rails a few times but overall, I liked what I created.

Now I'm rewriting the manuscript. I believe it's only going to take about four or five weeks to have it ready to forward on to Jeanne, my skillful editor at Wings. 

Furthermore, I have a publishing date for the book: Nov. 1, 2021. So I have the responsibility of getting the manuscript to her by the end of March.

For those who know my background in the media, having a deadline or due date is a plus. I spent nearly 18 years with a national news service, five years with newspapers, and eight years as editor of a regional magazine. 

I thrive on deadlines. When I don't have a deadline, I tend to diddle. Deadlines keep me focused.

In the meantime, I'm also marketing and promoting Make Room for Family. I've had several book reviews including feedback and ratings on Amazon. I've mailed several hundred postcards to bookstores, libraries, and friends (send me an email and I'll mail one to you).  I've also taken out ads on Facebook and soon on Amazon and possibly Google. 

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While you're here a few book recommendations from my recent reads:

Check out Chris Helvey's The White Jamaican, a clever and witty noir featuring detective Frank Quick. Helvey paints great scenes with his colorful prose and creates lively characters with down-and-dirty dialogue. 

Colston Whitehead's The Underground Railroad, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel from 2017, offers a gritty and graphic story about the plight of Blacks during the slavery era in U.S. history. The story follows the trials and tribulations of Cora as she pursues freedom in a cruel world. It's not an easy read but it may change your perspective about slavery. 

Andrew G. McCabe's The Threat: How the FBI Protects America in the Age of Terror and Trump is a fascinating read into the inner workings of the giant law-enforcement agency. While Trump is no longer in office, the book explains how the FBI takes on terrorism, the dedicated personnel who investigate crimes, and the threats to democracy we face today. 

Now it's back to the grindstone for rewriting and reading.

Until the next time . . .