AUTUMN 2024
TOPICS:
Greetings / Hearts in Sorrow / In Progress / Fictional Genealogy /
Web Updates & New Logos / Books & Stuff / Leisure Activities
Remembering Mischa / Until Next Time
There are no words to describe the relief I feel now that autumn has arrived. Summer in my neck of the woods was uncomfortably hot from May into the first few weeks of October, breaking heat records nearly every week. I was glad to see it make it's stubborn farewell, once and for all.
It has been nearly two years since I've had to deal with having a "day job." While that may sound trite, it is actually something I've been thankful for every day since. It also made me reflect on my work history, aside from writing. Most of my learned talents had to do with web design, which I taught myself long ago with the aid of Microsoft programs such as Front Page and Expression Web. Once I had the process down pat, I designed and built all of my own websites in conjunction with Adobe Fireworks, Adobe Macromedia, Adobe Photoshop Elements, Color Picker, Java Script Source and Luna-Pic Online Photo Editor, among many others. I find web design enjoyable, not something to merely be endured.
My worst job over time? Working in a call center for two years, which hawked credit repair services. It was the most negative workplace I've ever had to tolerate. Taking consistent verbal abuse from callers and trying to maintain a positive ethic was nearly impossible, and it certainly did not pay enough. The job also lent itself to my aversion to talking on the telephone, and generally made me dread every single day I was employed there. The past experience made me doubly grateful to now spend all of my waking hours writing, without the stress of a steady stream of incoming calls or having to watch the clock in order to be free of them.
I can honestly say my profession is that of an "author." As if anything else would do at this stage of my life.
In April 2024, I began writing a "prequel" to the Collective Obsessions Saga, which meant I was writing two books at once for a few months. The books include Hearts in Sorrow (prequel), and Limb of Iniquity (final installment). It brings the series to a nice, round number of ten books.
I have since finished Hearts in Sorrow (receiving a publishing contract for it in July 2024), and I'm currently focusing all of my attention on Limb of Iniquity.
The storyline for Hearts in Sorrow is outlined below (or "blurbed," if you will).
SHORT BLURB:
Long before emigrating to America to settle the town of Larkin, Maine, John Larkin falls for the hauntingly beautiful Maeve O'Quinn in his native Ireland. Although frail, she returns the love of the future Larkin patriarch in full measure as she envisions a rosy life with him, little knowing that fate has other plans for them.
LONG BLURB:
The Collective Obsessions Saga begins with the prequel, Hearts in Sorrow.
Years before emigrating to America to settle the town of Larkin, Maine in 1866, John Larkin falls for the flame-haired and green-eyed Maeve O'Quinn in his native Ireland. Although frail, she returns the future Larkin patriarch's love in full measure as she envisions a rosy life with him. Yet their love is not meant to be as fate cruelly intervenes to deny them.
After an unimaginable tragedy, John is left numb with grief but forges ahead to establish his own family. He settles for Anne O'Quinn, Maeve's older sister, who holds no candle to Maeve's beauty. Anne is tall and awkwardly big-boned, with golden brown hair, a long narrow face and dark coal eyes. She quickly agrees to marry John, secretly in love with the dashing man who had been meant for her sister.
Anne wonders if their marriage will be enough to hold John's interest, especially after they emigrate to America.
Or will he forsake her for another?
The cover art for the book cover was obtained from Vitalentum via Ace, where the "free AI imagery hub" is for business and personal use." So, in truth, the image is not of a real person but rather an AI-enhanced vision. The cover text and layout were edited by yours truly.
After the first round of editing, Hearts in Sorrow came in at 130 pages with 49,431 words. From start to finish, Hearts in Sorrow took me about three months to write. It is not an overly long novel, unlike other titles in the Collective Obsessions Saga, but it was ample for establishing the story between John Larkin and Maeve O'Quinn as she did not live much beyond her 19th birthday.
I sent the manuscript to my publisher, who in turn sent me a contract for the book on July 20th. I've said it many times before, but receiving a publishing contract never gets old, and in no way do I take it for granted. It gives me a thrill each time. If all goes according to plan, the e-book and paperback editions of Hearts in Sorrow should be released by Christmas 2024.
I also mentioned to my publisher that I was now working on Limb of Iniquity (the final part of the Collective Obsessions Saga), the timeframe for which takes place during the pandemic (2020-2022). Her reply: "That sounds fascinating, really looking forward to it. Once it's been published, we should consider a boxed set of the whole series as part of the sales initiative."
I'm all for that!
Currently in progress:
Limb of Iniquity (by yours truly writing as Deidre Dalton); 2025
I've been making my way through Limb of Iniquity over the last few months, gathering all the points together so as to end the Collective Obsessions Saga once and for all. Hence the scarcity of my summer blog posts. Every waking moment seems to be focused on the book, leaving me little time for anything else.
Some characters in Limb of Iniquity
do die (naturally or by nefarious means) because the
timeline takes place during the COVID epidemic (roughly 2020-2022).
At the moment, eight people are written in to expire in the
fictional town of Larkin City, Maine. Some characters are very well
known, others not so much.
There are also a handful of new characters in Limb of Iniquity. Perhaps one of the most enjoyable aspects of creating new characters - for me - is dreaming up new names, which can be inspired by a variety of things (sights, sounds, et al). Designating their physical descriptions and personality quirks is also quite pleasurable. Thankfully, I keep an updated spreadsheet that lists all things for every character, primary as well as incidental. Since the spreadsheet includes all ten books in the Collective Obsessions Saga, it has become lengthy indeed (and something readers will never see).
At the moment, I'm toying with the idea of bringing back Scott Page's ghost to deal with his illegitimate offspring, Alexandra St. John Cimarelli. He showed himself as an ethereal presence in Megan's Legacy, so why not again? It would be a nice way to round out the storyline, the finale for which I have yet to firmly decide on.
I hope to have Limb of Iniquity complete by the end of the year - two more months to go. Wish me luck!
Other novels in the works:
Celtic Fragments (sequel to Celtic Remnants; 2026)
Spirit of the Ossuary (prequel to The Crypt Artist; 2026)
As per my usual notation, storyline, estimated release date and book cover design may be subject to change.
There are many complicated family tree software programs available online, but I rely on Famtree. It's been around for ages, yet it is still the best genealogy application I've ever used (even better than Ancestry.Com and Roots Magic). It is currently compatible with Windows 7, 8, 8.1, and 10.
(Above): Worksheet page of Famtree, depicting the Larkin-Sullivan families. Click on image to view larger size in a new window.
(Above): Individual worksheet page of depicting John Larkin's data. Click on image to view larger size in a new window.
(Above): Traditional family tree (Larkin-Sullivan families). Click on image to view larger size in a new window.
Famtree has been essential to me in building and tracking the fictional Larkin and Sullivan families in relation to the Collective Obsessions Saga. I cannot sing high enough praise to the program and its creator, Phil Sapiro.
Without it, I wouldn't have been able to create the Larkin-Sullivan Family Tree. The software, along with a text spreadsheet, helped me organize and keep consistent technical relationships between fictional characters through the generations, along with images, historical notations, birthdates, marriage and divorce dates, death dates and other pertinent information. The most handy tool in the software was the "find relationship with" feature, which allowed me to click on one name in the family tree and find his/her relationship with any other name on the list in an instant. I highly recommend Famtree to anyone who desires to create their own family tree (for real).
In keeping with my recent spin into re-doing book websites, I took a stab at new designs for my novels Celtic Remnants and The Crypt Artist.
Hands down, the new "splash" page for Mind Sweeper turned out the best:
I also toyed with new logos for various books, including The Crypt Artist and Glinhaven.
Other new designs (Bloodline Trilogy and my official website):
I find creating designs quite relaxing, as odd as it may sound. It is third only to my love of writing and reading.
Since Adobe no longer supports their flash video software, I went ahead and re-created all of my book covers in simple fashion to form a new gallery.
In addition, a new page has been launched on my website, which includes photo snapshots taken from the dedication pages of paperback books by yours truly and my pseudonym, Deidre Dalton.
Many years ago, I read the entire Goldy Schulz cozy mystery series by Diane Mott Davidson. I recently re-read the entire collection of seventeen books, bringing much pleasant simplicity to my otherwise frenetic world.
Jerry and I also became immersed in the "re-make" of the multi-part Shogun TV program, which was initially offered as a mini-series in 1980. I read the same-named book by James Clavell many times over the years, and was suitably impressed by the telly redo, which was broadcast on the FX network.
There is talk that a second season might be in the offering, although Clavell's book did not go beyond the original ending depicted in both the 1980 and 2024 television versions of the story.
Time will tell, but I'll be watching. :)
Many years ago, when Jerry and I were married to each other in our youthful 20s, our first pet together was a black rat named Mischa. I didn't find her in a dark alleyway, but rather in a clean and reputable pet store in Taylorsville, Utah.
Jerry recently found a photo of Mischa, taken in April 1983:
Mischa was a sweet, gentle creature. She used to love curling herself into my hip-length black hair, and sleeping on my shoulder. Her favorite meal was scrambled eggs, which I cooked in a small dish in the microwave.
Unbeknownst to me at the time, rats tend to have a short lifespan. They can endure from anywhere between two to four years. Unfortunately, Mischa didn't make it to her second birthday. I was devastated at the time, but made sure she had a proper burial in our backyard.
Some years later when I was thinking of a title for the seventh book in the Short Tales Collection, I came up with Foofer & the Magic Mischa. While the character in the book was a squirrel, the name came from my very fond remembrances of Mischa the rat.
Another newsletter will likely be coming your way in Spring 2025, so keep your eyes peeled.
Meanwhile, visit my website, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for updates, or go to my blog Irish Eyes to view recent posts.
And until next time, happy reading . . . and Happy Halloween!
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