Life, Writing, and Story Evolution

Or why my schedule went to Hell in the proverbial handbasket

This isn’t a post filled with excuses. At least not too many. The last week and a half has been “interesting” and pretty much everything I planned got pushed back. The reasons were valid, mainly medical, but frustrating. So. . . the snippet was delayed. Editing was delayed. Life was delayed. But things are getting back to normal—thankfully. So I thought I’d give you a state of the WIP post along with a little background.

The current WIP, still untitled, is the seventh novella or novel in the Eerie Side of the Tracks (Mossy Creek) series. It takes place after Danger Foretold. It has, as I’ve blogged before, been a book I’ve fought from the get-go. There are certain things I know have to happen. Some things I suspected needed to happen. And a few things I didn’t want to happen because I’ve gotten close to these characters. Let’s just say, some of those concerns have turned out to be valid and others, mainly the ones that prevented me from actually writing the book, have been resolved.

But let’s take a step back to the beginning. This all started with Slay Bells Ring, what was supposed to be a one-off romantic suspense novel. Other than the lead character’s firm belief that her grandfather, who died approximately five years before the book opens, was still pulling strings from the grave, there wasn’t any “magic” in it. Oh, sure, there’s Miss Peggy who own the cafe down the street from the courthouse and who seems to know everything before it happens. Then there are all the little surprises Granddad kept springing from the grave, mainly through actions of his best friend and former law partner, Judge Caldwell. But that was it where the woo-woo (As Quinn in Witchfire Burning calls it) in the book.

However, something about the town called to me and the series took hold with Witchfire Burning. This is when the paranormal became real for Mossy Creek, all the way down to a sentient house. Except. . . .

It really started with Skeletons in the Closet. This novella was supposed to be the first of three and then I’d be done with Mossy Creek. I had fun writing about Lexie and her family and the challenges presented by their family members who might be dead but who weren’t departed. Seems they have a habit of returning to the family farm within a couple of days after their funerals. Then they stick around. They aren’t zombies. But they aren’t alive either and they keep the local undertaker busy with his “special treatments” for them to keep them from losing their noses in their soup, etc.

So why didn’t I finish the series?

Easy. It was humorous, or at least more so than what I usually write and, for me, that’s difficult. Sure, I might have some humor in my writing—at least I try to—but making it a key part of a story isn’t something I do easily and I kept shutting down. But the characters, especially Lexie, Miss Serena, Amy and a few others wouldn’t let me off the hook so easily. That’s where Witchfire Burning and the rest of the series came from.

Yes, the series took a more serious turn and it ran the risk of turning darker than I wanted. That’s where I got hung up with this latest book.

Then came an idea in the middle of the night where another wayward child returned home. At first, “home” wasn’t Mossy Creek. But, as I let the idea simmer on my back brain, it kept changing what the story initial began as. It eventually led to the current WIP.

Here’s what I can tell you so far. There’s another wayward child, now an adult, who left Mossy Creek and is now coming home. Unlike with Annie, Quinn, Meg, or Jax, when she left, she never intended to return. The few times she has have been to see her parents. She’d come in under cover of darkness and be gone before anyone knew she was there. She doesn’t return because of family problems. She doesn’t really want to return. But she does out of a sense of obligation when someone contacts her, asking her to come.

For her, Mossy Creek holds as much hurt as it does love. She’s spent years getting over the trauma that caused her to leave town. Now she’s returning and she doesn’t know if she’s strong enough, much less ready, to face those who let her down. But she won’t turn her back on one of the very few people she owes her life to.

Right now, the novel opens with a scene where Judith and Miss Serena discuss their concerns about the danger they both sense is coming. Both are worried. Here is a short excerpt from my notes about the scene (trying not to be too spoilery until I get the snippet up):

Then she reminded Judith they did have one more piece on the proverbial chess board still in play, one they’d been holding back. Judith blew out a breath, understanding what she meant. But, she asked, was this the right thing to do. Serena knew what the town had done. Did they even have the right to ask?

Serena admitted she hesitated. But did they dare not put this last piece in play?

Judith hated it, but she finally admitted that she didn’t see any other option.

But they had to be sure and they must be prepared for whatever happened. They can’t risk a repeat of the situation with Maddy—or worse. Serena nodded, but she didn’t believe it would come close to that. She knew both she and Judith had been keeping track of her. They watched from afar as she matured and grew. She was a far cry from the damaged, angry, and scared young woman they knew so long ago.

Besides, did they have any real choice?

There is always a choice. The question ultimately turns to did they make the right one?

Until later—snippet incoming tomorrow (fingers crossed).

(As for Skeletons in the Closet, I may still go back and finish the remaining two novellas. I have the basic plot in my head and many notes in a file. Honestly, it’s percolating and who knows when Myrtle the Evil Muse will decide to hit me over the head with it again.)

featured image created with Dall-e.