キャミー・タング著「戌年」連載小説 プロのドッグトレーナーであるマリ・ムトウは、厄年を迎えている。 犬小屋と訓練所の改築をしながら、いつも不服そうにしている家族と同居することになった。母と姉に言わせれば、犬の毛とよだれかけにまみれる仕事は、家族にとって恥ずべきものだという。彼女は元カレを説得し、数ヶ月間犬を預かってもらうことにした。しかし、彼の兄は、数週間前に彼女が誤って車に追突した、怒り狂ったセキュリティ専門家であることが判明する。 アシュウィン・ケイトウは十分な問題を抱えている。叔母が玄関先に現れ、同居を希望している。彼は彼女にすべてを借りているので、断ることができません。母親が家を出て行った後、ネルおばさんはアシュウィンと弟を引き取り、愛のあるキリスト教の家庭で育てた。しかも、弟のダスティもアパートを追い出され、居場所を求めている。しかし、彼は犬を飼っている。そして、その犬の飼い主は誰だと思いますか？ しかし、旧友でオアフ島のノースショアでデイスパを経営する私立探偵のエディサ・ゲレロから依頼を受ける。マリの施設で奇妙な破壊行為があり、3年前に失踪したエディサの妹の財布を発見する。エディサはマリが危険な目に遭っているのではと心配する。警備の専門家であるアシュウィンがすでにマリを知っていることを知ったエディサは、忙しい若い女性を密かに監視することを彼に依頼する。 アシュウィンは、活発でのんびりとしたドッグトレーナーに不本意ながら惹かれていく。彼女は、幸せそうな母親を思い出させる。その母親の裏切りによって、彼は人と距離を置くようになったのだ。マリは、アシュウィンの冷たい外見を見抜き、彼が家族に忠実な男であることを認める。彼は、彼女のキャリア選択を批判するだけの母親や姉とは違う。 マリのバラバラな家庭とアシュウィンのバラバラな家庭の中で、過去を隠そうとする人たちから、彼らの周りに危険が迫ってくるようになる。彼らは、影で動く秘密に光を当てることができるのか？ 過去に発表されたパートへのリンクはこちら。 *** 第8章 - 恐ろしくも真っ白な不動産書類 『みんな仲良くできないのかな？』 マリは無用に力を込めて箱に本を投げ入れた。最近、なぜ彼女は人生の中で全員と言い争いをしているのだろう？もしかすると、これは本当に悪いアイデア
Captain's Log, Supplemental
Some news on the writing front:
I had put together a romantic suspense proposal for Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line. I would love to write for Steeple Hill (in addition to Z). The editors totally rock and I’ve been reading their books for like forever.
I had written one suspense (not romantic suspense) manuscript years ago before I contracted with Zondervan (the manuscript is languishing under the bed), but since then I’ve written chick lit and humorous women’s fiction, and that’s the voice I’ve developed in the past few years.
I suspected my voice in the romantic suspense proposal wasn’t quite the same tone as other Love Inspired Suspense novels, but I wasn’t sure exactly what to fix. I sent the proposal in anyway (which, in hindsight, I really shouldn’t have done—I was too impatient and should have gotten more feedback first).
God totally gave me grace because the editor came back with, “We like the story but your voice isn’t quite right for the line. Can you revise and resubmit?”
Those words are gold for any writer. It’s also a test—can I revise to fit what they need?
So I did what I should have done originally—I went to writer friends who read lots of Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense novels.
Two of them actually write for those lines (Cheryl Wyatt writes for Love Inspired, Margaret Daley writes for both Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense). A third friend (Danica Favorite-MacDonald) is a writer targeting Love Inspired.
These three women are completely awesome.
Danica gave me this light-bulb moment of what exactly was wrong with my voice and how exactly to fix it. I had to get out of the chick lit mindset I have been in for the past three years and try to find again that suspense mindset I’d had when I wrote that first suspense story. I had to find my little “suspense cave” and burrow in it, to completely overhaul my writing voice. Danica also pointed out some places where my characters had the more typical “chick lit” attitudes, thoughts, and reactions.
Cheryl found a bunch of inconsistencies in the story that, when I fixed them, would add more suspense and conflict to the story.
Margaret is freakin’ brilliant. She gave me ideas for restructuring the scenes to add more suspense and up the tension.
So now I’ve sent the revised chapters to the Steeple Hill editor. The chapters are almost completely different from what I’d sent to her—and I’m heartily embarrassed I sent the original version in the first place.
Lesson to all you writers—GET MORE FEEDBACK BEFORE YOU SUBMIT!
Anyway, I’m praying they’ll contract this book. I know it’s in God’s hands, though, and I can honestly say I’m totally okay with that.
Anyway, I’m in the midst of a couple freelance editing projects (to be honest, they were really good distractions for me to focus on when I was frustrated at my lack of ability to fix my chapters. They saved a lot of hair being pulled out). And after I’m done with those, I’ll be working on another (new) Love Inspired proposal.
I think that another reason I’m doing Love Inspired proposals is to give me a legitimate excuse to read Love Inspired novels! LOL I had stopped reading them when I was writing chick lit because I had other chick lit novels I had to read instead. But now that I’m doing romance, I can read romance novels again. I love them—they’re short, sweet, and entertaining.
Some news on the writing front:
I had put together a romantic suspense proposal for Steeple Hill’s Love Inspired Suspense line. I would love to write for Steeple Hill (in addition to Z). The editors totally rock and I’ve been reading their books for like forever.
I had written one suspense (not romantic suspense) manuscript years ago before I contracted with Zondervan (the manuscript is languishing under the bed), but since then I’ve written chick lit and humorous women’s fiction, and that’s the voice I’ve developed in the past few years.
I suspected my voice in the romantic suspense proposal wasn’t quite the same tone as other Love Inspired Suspense novels, but I wasn’t sure exactly what to fix. I sent the proposal in anyway (which, in hindsight, I really shouldn’t have done—I was too impatient and should have gotten more feedback first).
God totally gave me grace because the editor came back with, “We like the story but your voice isn’t quite right for the line. Can you revise and resubmit?”
Those words are gold for any writer. It’s also a test—can I revise to fit what they need?
So I did what I should have done originally—I went to writer friends who read lots of Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense novels.
Two of them actually write for those lines (Cheryl Wyatt writes for Love Inspired, Margaret Daley writes for both Love Inspired and Love Inspired Suspense). A third friend (Danica Favorite-MacDonald) is a writer targeting Love Inspired.
These three women are completely awesome.
Danica gave me this light-bulb moment of what exactly was wrong with my voice and how exactly to fix it. I had to get out of the chick lit mindset I have been in for the past three years and try to find again that suspense mindset I’d had when I wrote that first suspense story. I had to find my little “suspense cave” and burrow in it, to completely overhaul my writing voice. Danica also pointed out some places where my characters had the more typical “chick lit” attitudes, thoughts, and reactions.
Cheryl found a bunch of inconsistencies in the story that, when I fixed them, would add more suspense and conflict to the story.
Margaret is freakin’ brilliant. She gave me ideas for restructuring the scenes to add more suspense and up the tension.
So now I’ve sent the revised chapters to the Steeple Hill editor. The chapters are almost completely different from what I’d sent to her—and I’m heartily embarrassed I sent the original version in the first place.
Lesson to all you writers—GET MORE FEEDBACK BEFORE YOU SUBMIT!
Anyway, I’m praying they’ll contract this book. I know it’s in God’s hands, though, and I can honestly say I’m totally okay with that.
Anyway, I’m in the midst of a couple freelance editing projects (to be honest, they were really good distractions for me to focus on when I was frustrated at my lack of ability to fix my chapters. They saved a lot of hair being pulled out). And after I’m done with those, I’ll be working on another (new) Love Inspired proposal.
I think that another reason I’m doing Love Inspired proposals is to give me a legitimate excuse to read Love Inspired novels! LOL I had stopped reading them when I was writing chick lit because I had other chick lit novels I had to read instead. But now that I’m doing romance, I can read romance novels again. I love them—they’re short, sweet, and entertaining.
Comments
On a totally different note - thanks for making my day/week/month by reading and commenting on my blog. Trying to figure out how to frame it...
Would love to see Camy Tang on an LI Suspense cover.
Tricia, you crack me up! But please don't frame it. LOL ;)
Mary, it was a really great exercise. I feel like it was one of those things that somehow makes me a better writer, to do something so different.
Jill, thanks for visiting my blog! And I'm so glad you like my covers!
Camy