Real life can be TOO real

The reason I've decided to write 3 more stories instead of 2 is because, to put it simply, Hope and Jake have more to do!

If you've ready The Network, story 5, you'll know that it ends on an ominous note: Where are they going?

Story 6 -- as yet unnamed -- shows where they go, and why they're there. And it does a whole lot more.

Hope is also facing a dilemma around how much of the truth she shares with Jake right now. She knows deep down inside what her future must be. How can she possibly share that with Jake? Their unspoken feelings for one another have made it difficult for her to tell him the truth.

On top of that, there's still the spectre of Pandora out there. How quickly will it figure things out? Fast enough to get its way? With the knowledge it now has, it could be a dangerous force.

Stay tuned for Story 6. I do apologize for the delay! Sometimes my "real" life gets in the way of the life I'm creating inside Arcadia and Cerulean -- which is, to be honest, a place I'd much rather be right now.

Because real life can be, well, a little too real sometimes.

I'm still here! And so are Hope and Jake

I got sidelined for two whole weeks this month with two viruses stacked on top of one another. So Story 6 had to be put "on hold" for a short time.

But I'm back to plotting and writing ... and there are going to be at least 8 stories in this series! I thought there might be only 7, but Hope and Jake had more story in them.

So please stay tuned for Story 6 as soon as possible, but not before it's as good as it can be for my readers.

:-)

A character's weaknesses

If you've been reading The Pandora Chronicles, you know that Hope has a few weaknesses. First, she doesn't always say what she's thinking or feeling, especially in regards to Jake. He's much more open about how he feels and what he thinks -- almost to the point of annoying Hope.

Why does Hope keep things inside most of the time?

I think she knows there's something serious that she has to do, and she doesn't want Jake to suffer any potential consequences along with her.

The other weakness Hope has, of course, is a physical one. When she nearly died of The Paralyzing as a young girl, she was left with fainting spells that -- pardon the pun -- plague her. She never knows when one will happen, so she carries ammonia pellets in her pocket all the time.

Do you notice any other weaknesses in Hope's character? Let me know in the comments!

OK, back to writing and plotting Story 6 ...

Have you read The Doomsday Book?

Have you read The Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis? If you like time travel, you'll love it. The author creates some really fun characters, and it's great for me because it's set in Oxford, which I visited just this past December. I'm really enjoying it, thanks to a friend of mine who recommended it to me. She's definitely a book expert: she works at Scholastic, the magical place that published Harry Potter and also The Hunger Games. Maybe The Pandora Chronicles will be next!

Speaking of The Pandora Chronicles, I'm so excited about Story 6. We're in the second half of this series now, folks. I know there will be at least Story 6 and Story 7, and there may be a Story 8 to finish it off. It just depends how much more there is for Hope and Jake to do once Story 6 is done, so this is a pivotal moment for us.

Stay tuned ...

Thank you for the reviews

Just a quick note of "thanks" to everyone who has written -- or plans to write -- a review of any of my stories on Amazon. More than just helping the search-engine ranking of the stories, the reviews mean a lot to me, they really do.

That someone would take a moment to write something nice about one of my stories? Really, it just makes my day, my week, my month ... heck, it makes my year.

So here is a big

THANK YOU. 

I appreciate it so very much.

Episodes 6, 7 ... and possibly 8?

I hope you're having a wonderful weekend, wherever you are. It's been drizzly here in NYC so far, but the sky is a little brighter today (Sunday). Still not quite enough to warm up these native-California bones of mine, but I'll take 40 degrees over 30 (or 20 or 10) any day.

I'm plotting Story 6 of The Pandora Chronicles and am starting to write it today, and something dawned on me: I might need 8 episodes for this series!

If you're a fan, I suppose that won't upset you too much. ;-) And as the author, I can tell you that it definitely doesn't upset me at all! I enjoy spending time with Hope and Jake and all the other characters we've grown to know and love.

March will be a busy writing month for me. If only I didn't have a 9-to-5 job, I could write even faster ... but I'm going to make a promise, which is that Story 6 will definitely be published this month. And if I can find the time, Story 7, too.

That's the goal: Stories 6 and 7 published in March. With possibly an 8th episode coming in April.

Send good writing vibes, OK? More like, send good vibes that I don't have to work overtime at my "real" job so that I can spend time with Hope and Jake.

I mean really, which is more important? My "regular" job, or my job of creating all the thrills and chills of Pandora?

OK, here I go ... Diving head first into writing Story 6!

Get hooked (for less dough)

One of my readers calls the stories "addictive." Another keeps telling me to "write faster." (I'm trying, I really am!)

Now it's your turn to get hooked on The Pandora Chronicles: Stories 1-4.

Buy them all in one book and save a buck off the individual price of the stories.Then you can pick up  Story 5, The Network, and join my fans who are hungering for more episodes of Hope and Jake's quest to end the plagues.

What are you waiting for? Read The Pandora Chronicles: Stories 1-4 today.

Coming soon: Compilation of stories 1-4

Happy Saturday, everyone! (Is it still Saturday where you are?)

I had a fun day today. Decided to take advantage of some pre-spring sales at Macy's and J. Crew. Here in NYC, the stores are often pretty crowded. But today they weren't super busy, and you know what? I actually enjoy the crowds sometimes. Makes everything seem more alive and fun.

I scored a couple of dresses (one little black dress and one maxi dress for summer) a belt and a sweater (lavender), all at 50-65 percent off the normal retail price. I'll take it!


Within the next few days, I'm going to offer stories 1-4 of The Pandora Chronicles in one volume. I'll be sure and alert you when it's ready.

I'm already writing story 6. I'm on a roll. Or maybe a bagel?

"Totally addictive. Impossible to read just one."

--- one of my readers


It is the year 2050, and for more than 20 years, suburbanites of Arcadia have suffered tremendous grief and loss every autumn, when the annual plague descends for its three-month run. The Pandora Chronicles tell the story of Hope, an 18-year-old woman who is determined to find the cause -- and cure -- for these plagues. Her father is already dead, and she almost lost her life, too. Who will survive? Will she discover the answers she seeks? Follow the story as it unfolds in each episode. Read Story 1: Pandora (The Pandora Chronicles Short Story Series)

I have the best fans

Seriously, you are the best, my readers. I had kind of a cruddy day ... Ok, a cruddy week, actually ... And your wonderful comments about The Pandora Chronicles turned the light back on in my life. Thank you so much.

The Network: fixed and ready!

I fixed my slight goof in "The Network." Sorry about that. Just goes to show that an actual human being is writing and publishing these stories. :-)

I had so much fun writing this one. I include lots of action and suspense and revealed some new information about Hope's role.

Story 6 will reveal even more -- I've already started writing it.

Click here (or on the giant cover) to read The Network today!

Oops! I'm only human

Haha! Just noticed a funny goof in The Network, right at the end. When you get to the end, ignore the very last sentence! If you'd prefer to refund and buy a corrected copy, please do so. I'll post again when it's correct! My humble apologies.

"The Network" is live on Kindle!

Click here (or on the giant cover) to read it today!

Here it is: The cover of "The Network"

I'm about to publish The Network on Amazon, so my next post will take you to the link.

In the meantime, here is the cover ... And thanks, as always, for the support. :-)

Story 5 now has a name

No longer do I have to refer to Story 5 as, well Story 5 in The Pandora Chronicles.

Now, it's called "The Network."

And it's with the editor. Wahoo!

Stay tuned! And sorry for the loooong delay in getting this one finished and out there to you. It's been a hectic time in my life outside of writing, but all is OK now. Stories 6 and 7 are mapped out and ready to rumble under my fingers.

Next post: the cover for "The Network."

Aaaack. Stomach flu

Need I say more?

Story 5 still coming soon -- I just have to feel good enough to do the final bit, and it'll be up and ready to read!

Story 5 ... so close to being done!

Story 5 is almost ready for prime time. I'm still deciding on a title, too, so hang tight for just a few more days, folks.

In the meantime, I saw another Oscar-nominated movie, Zero Dark Thirty. All I can say is, how could they take one of the most important manhunts of our time and turn it into a snoozefest? I usually like Jessica Chastain, but she was miscast and her character was severely underdeveloped.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Anyone else agree? Disagree?

Back to writing Story 5 of The Pandora Chronicles -- which, if I may say, are a lot more exciting that Zero Dark Thirty. :-)

What's your Oscar pick?

I realized today that I've seen only a handful of the movies up for Best Picture. I need to get out more!

Here's my list, with a couple of words about each one:

• Amour: Want to see it
• Argo: Saw it, was bored
• Beasts of the Souther Wild: Didn't see it, not interested
• Django Unchained: Want to see it
• Les Misérables: Saw it, liked it but wouldn't watch it a second time
• Life of Pi: Saw it, loved it, wanted to dream about it
• Lincoln: Didn't see it, will wait for the rental
• Silver Linings Playbook: Saw it, loved it, want to see it again (and again)
• Zero Dark Thirty: Nope, want to see it

And the Oscar goes to ...

Silver Linings Playbook as Best Picture -- of the movies I've seen so far.

What's your choice for Best Picture of 2012?

The chase is on. What's your favorite?

Chase scenes -- and escape and rescue scenes -- are a blast to write. More than almost anything else in my stories, I see these scenes as mini movies for the mind. They live in front of my eyes, with my characters running, jumping, crawling, climbing, holding on, you name it. A lot of that is happening as I work on story 5.

I swear, sometimes I'm burning calories along with my characters!

Since I started writing these types of scenes, I've paid much more attention to them in other books and also in movies.

Do you have a favorite chase scene, from a book or movie? If so, what is it? I'd love to hear from you.

To kill, or not to kill?

OK, folks. I'm having a debate with myself whether to kill someone off in story 5 ... or not.

The characters are at a point where things are serious. VERY serious. If you've read Blood Line Zero, then you know what I'm talking about.

So what should I do? Kill someone? Or not?

Of course, I can't reveal who I'm talking about because that would give too much away. If any of you read Harry Potter -- not that I'm J.K. Rowling -- then you know the author had no problem killing off some pretty major characters.

(SPOILER ALERT IF YOU HAVEN'T READ HP: Dumbledore?? And Hedwig?? Sheesh.)

Tell me what you think about authors killing off key characters in their books!