Hi everyone! I hope you're all staying safe and healthy out there.
I just wanted to share a quick update of what I've been working on. I'm really trying to keep the blog updated every few days or so and keep in communication with all of you.
Right now, I'm still working on the first draft of ROOM WITH A VIEW, the first novel in my murder mystery series set at a hotel in the 80s. As of this afternoon, I've currently written nine chapters and plan to write the tenth tomorrow.
I love writing mystery. I grew up reading Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie, so it shouldn't come as a surprise. It's also the genre that got me my literary agent, so maybe I'm meant to write it after all!
Kate Clyde is becoming one of my favorite characters to write. She is the eighteen-year-old protagonist who comes to visit her uncle Vince in Las Vegas from her family farm back in Idaho. She's looking for more in her life -- more excitement, more of a purpose -- and will find it solving mysteries.
(I named the murder victim after Agatha Christie -- her name is Brenda Christie -- as a tribute to her. Fun fact!)
What else am I working on? I'm also editing GHOUL SCHOOL, my children's fantasy novel and the first in a series. I REALLY love this story, and I can't wait to show it to my agent. Writing children's fiction is fun because it's so imaginative and creative.
I'm also waiting on my editor for the second round of edits for THE DARK CAGE, the third and final book in my Soulless War trilogy. It's sad these books are coming to an end -- as well as my partnership with Fire and Ice YA -- but it's been a blast working on it!
Congratulations are in order for my agent and one of her clients, Ashley Coleman! They sold her book, GOOD MORNING LOVE, to SimonBooks the other day! Wonderful news. I'm happy for both of them, and I can't wait to see her novel on the shelves.
As for a life update, I posted on Instagram about my aunt's partner for the past decade passing away. Kevin passed peacefully in his sleep on July 2nd, thankfully not from the Coronavirus. He died next to my aunt, someone who loved him, so he was not alone. His funeral was yesterday, but due to the virus and the fact that my mother is a high risk for dying from complications if she gets it (she has diabetes), we decided not to attend. We honored his memory at home and said a prayer for him.
I met him only a few times but I remember him as being funny and the life of the party. Rest in peace, Kevin Sculthorpe. You will be missed by many. Condolences to my aunt and his family during this difficult time. Here is the link to his obituary: https://ottawacitizen.remembering.ca/obituary/kevin-sculthorpe-1079464106
Donations to the Ottawa Humane Society here in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada are appreciated.
I hope everyone out there is doing well. If no one has told you today, you are valued, loved, and appreciated. I wish you all the health and happiness in the world. We've been in lockdown for months now, and although things seem tough, we will get through them together -- all of us.
Keep believing and staying strong.
Sincerely,
Dana
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