• 922 and counting …

    Finished Now You Die by Roxanne St. Claire. This is the third and final book in a trilogy (and sixth overall) in her Bullet Catchers romantic suspense series.

    This book finally answers the trilogy’s overall question of who sent an innocent woman, Eileen Stafford, to jail for a murder she didn’t commit and why. It also features the romance between Lucy Monroe, the head of the BCs, and Jack Culver, a former BC that Lucy fired for lying to her.

    I’ve been looking forward to Lucy’s story for a while now, as she has been such a strong character in the other books. For the most part, I was pleased. Lucy remains just as strong and capable in this book as she has been in the others, even while she’s falling for Jack. We also learn more about Lucy’s background, including the tragic loss that drives her.

    However, I didn’t think Jack’s character was quite as strongly developed. Or maybe that’s just because I haven’t been reading about him for six books now. Still, I thought he was a good match for Lucy.

    As for the murder mystery, I liked the way that St. Claire wove everything together from the first two books, like the tattoos on the adopted babies and Eileen’s memories of the murder. It all fit together nicely. Although I did guess the “big twist” and who the murderer really was about halfway through the book. And I did enjoy the big showdown at the end.

    Overall, this was a nice conclusion to a solid trilogy. Thumbs up. There’s another BC book due out later this year, and I’ll be reading it.

    Up next: Rough Weather by Robert B. Parker.

    Books in my TBR pile: About 20.

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    Random quote …

    2 Comments

    So I’ve been going back and listening to all my old Jimmy Buffett CDs. (I’m a huge fan of his). And I came across this little gem of a line from a song called If I Could Just Get It Down On Paper:

    Life and ink

    They run out at the same time

    Or so said

    My old friend the squid

    I think the first two lines are a perfect motto for writers, don’t you? 😎

    What about you guys? What are some of your favorite musical quotes? Share in the comments.

  • Deep freeze …

    4 Comments

    It was 3 degrees where I live this morning — 3 degrees. And I don’t even want to think about what the wind chill was. I went outside, and my face just hurt from the cold. Brrr!

    Yes, Virginia, it can get mighty cold down here in the South. And we’re not even getting the worst of it. One of my friends lives up near Erie, Pa. I’m betting her temps were well below zero this morning.

    I plan to hibernate in my house this weekend, clean off my desk, and crank out (hopefully) several thousand words on my YA fantasy, Quiver.

    What about you guys? How are you beating the cold? Share in the comments.

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    ‘Tis done … for now …

    So I’ve finished my latest round of edits and finally sent Assassin 3 to my agent for her reading pleasure. It clocks in at 99,267 words. Huzzah! I’m always glad to finish a project and move on to something else. And hey, now I can mark this one off my 2009 resolutions list. :ww:

    I’m kind of anal-retentive (i.e. insane) about working ahead. I like to get things done well in advance. Just to let you know how crazy I am about working ahead, here are some tidbits: Assassin 3 isn’t due to my editor until June, and it won’t be published until October 2010. But I’ve passed it on and gotten the wheels rolling, even if they do grind slowly at times.

    I’ve got a bit of a lull now while I wait for my agent to read Assassin 3 and get back to me with comments/revision suggestions/etc. So I’ve decided to try my hand at writing a young adult novel. I’ve never written a YA before, and I’m wondering if I can even do it. Can I get the voice right? Will it come off as cool? Or just stilted and dumb?

    Those are the kind of thoughts I have with every book, but more so with the YA since this is uncharted territory for me. But I’ve got my concept and overall story in mind, and I’ve even decided on a working title: Quiver. Think Robin Hood meets the Scarlet Pimpernel. With magic and stuff. (And yes, I totally know there’s a Green Arrow graphic novel with the same title. But you can’t copyright titles.)

    Right now, I’ve feeling pretty jazzed about writing Quiver. I bored poor Wheezley to tears last night talking about it. We’ll see how I feel when I’m 50,000 words in, my wrist is killing me, and I think that it’s all crap. Ah, well. It will be a learning experience if nothing else …

    What about you guys? What projects are you working on right now — writing or otherwise? Share in the comments.

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    One down, lots more to go …

    2 Comments

    Well, I can mark one of my 2009 writing resolutions off the list. I’m doing a final read-through and edit of Assassin 3 before I send that to my agent to read. I should be done with it by the end of the week.

    I always love sending projects off to the agent. Makes me feel like I’m actually accomplishing something, instead of just wasting hours in my office typing like a madwoman. 😈

    Next up, I think I’m going to venture into new territory and try to write a young adult novel. I have an idea that I’ll share when I get it a little more fleshed out.

    What about you writers out there? What are you working on right now? Share in the comments.