In our travels in these weeks, I have thought about writing fiction. I suspect that all of you do as well, or you would not be interested in book review blogs.
I have been writing thrillers for about 15 years now. Initially, with my daughter Whitney when she studied at Oxford. We finished that work into a novel entitled The Phoenix Scenario. It involved a young woman struggling to be a lawyer married to a long estranged assassin; her boss is kidnapped by the German Fourth Reich which was ready to emerge and try again as the political pendulum in Europe swings to the right; he, and she, knew too much; Europe and the free world are imperiled by a form of evil that could not be imagined to establish defenses.
I then wrote Harvest of Gold, which involves a woman who is the beneficiary of a trust holding the long lost “Jewish Gold.” She leads life in a small East Texas lake community, which, unbeknownst to her, has been prepared for military assault as the trust comes to an end in 2000. She has spent a lifetime wondering who she is. Surrounded by death and kidnapping of her family, Molly solves the mysteries of her life as her side is branded enemies subject to attack by the U.S. military. I believe it is ready for publication. Agents have expressed interest in this story, but it has not yet been sold.
I wrote a manuscript entitled Everyman, which this title was used by Thomas Wolfe a few years ago so I had to find another, The Riddle of Berlin. I self-published this one in 2008. The story is set in Paris and along the Danube River. It has received interesting reviews, averaging about 3.5 on a 5.0 scale. As always, I learn from each review.
30,000 Camels is a sequel to The Riddle of Berlin. One of the heroes, a Vice President in the prior book, Lucius Alcorn, becomes President 10 years in the future. He has made the United Nations the only serious military force in the world and there is war with Iran. The bad guys discover that Alcorn has a daughter that even he was not aware of (and interesting story in itself), who they kidnap. Alcorn must address how to care for his personal interests (his daughter) as he undertakes his public responsibilities as leader of the world. The story is set Washington and Israel.
Most recently, I wrote The Dust Scenario involving a woman who has the secrets of the economic collapse of the past few years and is hunted by governments not wanting the truth to be revealed. She is aided by an assassin. The story is set in Rome and Tuscany. At the ThrillerFest in July 2010, I hoped to find an agent interested in this book. So far, nothing concrete.
I have also begun two other stories. One could be entitled My Child, which is story about a russian adopted boy living happily in America when a Russian mobster determines that the child is biologically his and will stop at nothing to obtain the boy. My wonderful blogger, Beachbrights, and I have been working on this one. Lastly, one of my last novels could be Dad on the Shelf, which is a story about my feelings for my father. His ashes are still on the shelf.
As I have thought about all of this, I know that I love the process of writing and improving my skills. Each discussion group, agent discussion, reviews, and other event adds to my knowledge base. I am avid, persistent student. While commercial success has not yet arrived, enjoyment has been a bountiful harvest. I love it!
On the other hand, each dead end is frustrating. When hopes are dashed, it is only human to wonder if the cake is worth the candle. Should I give up? I always end up smiling at this, knowing that persistence will pay off, as it always has.
My question to myself is simple: how shall I proceed?
All of the reviews that we have published in the blog, and other places, have been instructive. I find that I enjoy the most reading books addressing emotion and life, and the least stories full of gruesome murder, violence, or seemingly endless chases with characters that seem flat as boards. I think of myself as a thriller writer. In each of the stories I have written, I know that I have tried to blend a thrilling story with characters having emotional issues that each of us face in our lives. I have thought that this makes the stories real, not escapist (like James Bond stories, to me at least). Some writers are able to do both, write a thrilling story with characters that are real. I have found this in Lon Land’s books about Kaitlin Strong, which I have reviewed.
I sometimes wonder if I bite off too much. Perhaps, I would be best advised to either write emotional stories or thrillers and not both. Hmmmm?
As I look out over the ocean from this lovely perch on the cliffs of Amalfi, I know what my path should be:
• Keep writing, reading, and reviewing.
• Seek an agent who is excited about my work and investing time and effort.
• Find a suitable self-publishing venue to get the stories out there.
~I know that many of you face these same questions. I would be fascinated with your thoughts~
Warms, Cym
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