My Bucket List of Books

Today is my birthday, and for some reason, this year I'm feeling much closer to one of those "big" milestones and much more philosophical about what I want out of life. This happens to me every six or seven years, it seems, but this is the first time I've been tempted to make a list of the books that I really want to write.

You see, I developed a very warped sense of the publishing world early in my career, when I sold my first two books on proposal. I didn't have any finished manuscripts under the bed or on the top shelf of the closet. As a matter of fact, my ability to write fiction came as a complete surprise. I'd never written anything except business materials, school papers and not-so-memorable letters. I developed the idea that I shouldn't write a book until I got a contract from a publisher, especially when I discovered I absolutely hated to do major revisions. (Once I got the story firmly in my head, it was very difficult to change it.)

So, now I'm thinking about what books I want to write whether I have a contract or not. I have a number of stories that keep popping up in my conscious mind, interferring with what I should be focused on. Work. Other books that are contracted. Family. Hobbies. The stories that I need to tell range in scope from a very human alien, a cranky New Orleans ghost, an eighteenth century English maid, an exiled Los Angeles doctor, and a nineteenth century convent resident who was turned into a statue. (You may notice that most of these are paranormals. Hmm.)

And I would love to revisit some of my Harlequin American characters from Ranger Springs. Maybe combine stories from my two different towns into a bigger story, although I'm not sure what yet. (I just think that would be neat!) I'm currently finishing the proposal on my last Brody's Crossing book. It has taken me, to quote my first paranormal romance, Forever and a Day to finish. I don't know why, except I have been exceptionally distracted by the election, the economy, and my granddaughters. (So, if my editor reads this, I'm really, really sorry and I promise it's coming soon!)

I hope today finds you well. I'm going to do some fun things with family and I'm not going to write today, but I'm making that bucket list of books to finish. I've found that if you put things down on paper, they seem much more concrete and manageable, and quite frankly, at my age, I need that! Again, best wishes.