I’m updating this post about the launch of the first book in the Old Los Angeles series, Death of the Zanjero, because it’s a fun one and because I want to share a little more about how I write.
My latest novel, Death of the Zanjero, a historical mystery, is officially on sale today. (I’m so excited!)
You know how, when we were kids, our classmates would taunt us for bragging, ’cause that was, like, really bad? I’ve been having a terrible time because all I can hear are those bratty little fifth-graders in my head. I know, I know. I’ve been out of fifth grade for a very long time. But these things stick, right?
And the thing is, I’m really proud of Zanjero and hope that you’ll like it, too.
It was possibly one of my easiest books to write, too. I know. I’m supposed to be suffering every word of the way. But when I do that, the work doesn’t usually turn out that well. If I’m ripping along, that generally means that I’m letting the most creative part of my brain go, and that’s a good thing for my stories.
Writing is hard
I don’t mean to suggest that writing isn’t hard work. It is, without question. And just because getting the words onto the screen is going easily, that doesn’t mean that I haven’t struggled to pull together the plot, figure out who the characters are, and all that. I do re-read and re-write things and edit and edit and get the text edited.
Still, there is an indescribable joy when the words are not only flowing, you know deep in your gut that they’re damned good ones. Oh, yeah. That’s why I write. And that’s what happened with Death of the Zanjero.
I wrote about how the story came into being on the Old Los Angeles series page, so I won’t retread that here. I do hope you get a chance to read my story, though.