Into the New

To me, September first feels more like the start of a new year than January first. It might have something to do with the school year beginning at this time. Also, Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, falls around now (sundown on September 9 this year, according to my calendar).

So it’s appropriate that I’m also starting a new book.

Since I write about three books a year, that probably doesn’t sound like a big deal, but to me it’s the start of an adventure, and a risk. People who don’t read category romance often assume that these books are written by formula, dashed off (or churned out, as they like to say) between sailing trips on my yacht and jaunts to Monte Carlo in my private jet.

No yacht. No private jet. And if there’s a formula, it’s no more cut-and-dried than a thriller or a mystery. Sure, there are reader expectations, and elements that I have to include. But that makes the writing more of a challenge rather than less as I work to keep my stories fresh.

And when I start, even though I’ve written a synopsis for my editor and have a general idea of who the characters are and what conflicts they face, there’s always fear. That’s right, fear. I might put hero and heroine on the page and they might stare at each other, silent as lumps. The storyline might sag, the outcome I hoped for might arrive with a thud, and my editor might demand a page-one rewrite.

Usually, that doesn’t happen. Once in a while, there are major revisions. Hence, fear.

But also joy. Because most of the time, when I put him and her together, they make me laugh. My storyline surprises me. There’s an insight near the end that I didn’t expect. At the final moment, I get a lump in my throat.

So here we go again – back to the beginning. I have no idea how, exactly, my ending will read, but I know what my opening line should be:

Once upon a time….