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VIRTUALLY HERS came out Oct. 2009. Get it at SAMHAIN Publishing. VIRTUALLY ONE coming soon.
VIRTUALLY HERS OUT IN PRINT AUG 2010.

I've also made available at Amazon BIG BAD WOLF a COS Commando book, an earlier manuscript about Killian Nicholas Langley. You can sample the first five chapters right here. EBOOK now available for KINDLE, NOOK, and at SMASHWORDS for $4.99.

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VIRTUALLY HERS UPDATE

VIRTUALLY HERS OUT IN PRINT AUG 2010! Discounted at Amazon!

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Saturday, April 23, 2005

Spies and Writers Get Contracts

Do spies worry about their next contract? Hardly, I'd imagine. I mean, if he/she's an uber-contract agent, they would have an offshore account sitting pretty, waiting for their pleasure. Of course, they love their work--I mean, sure, a mercenary's contract pay is pretty high up there, if you check the private online ads (heehee, ya gotta know where to look, baby...), but they must like to mercenarize, right? No one just become a mercenary because it's the most glamorous job to see the other seedy side of the world....

I know uber-writers (re: that Dan bloke) don't worry about their next contract. Everyone wants them, so it's more like: who shall I contract with next? The publishing world is theirs. They can write one book in three years and their editor will ask them whether they need more time. They can request cover changes if the finger of one model doesn't look right. And I'm not envious, not at all (three deadlines in a year and the half and dragon ladies breathing down my neck...).

I'm uber-roofer, after all ;-), and I quite understand this sense of freedom and independence. I have never worried about my next roofing contract because everyone in the business locally knows my partner and me. We do good roofs, ahem, and boy, are we entertaining, especially when Ranger Buddy sings The Impossible Dream at 9am. We're not big-headed about it--we just don't worry. And I'm sure it's like that with uber-spy and uber-writer.

But back to me, poor beginner mid-lister, as they say. Oh wait, not even a beginner any more...a sophomore mid-lister, knowing just a bit more of the business to be fearful of the dreaded RETURNS number on the royalty sheet, do I worry about the next contract?

Yes and no.

I know I'll have one, but there are contracts and there are contracts. I have been extremely lucky these last three years. I was contracted to write two books for the first contract (Into Danger and Facing Fear) that came out one book a year. Immediately after handing in my second book of the first contract (you still with me? ;-P), I was offered a second one for three SEAL books. Now, the first contract, I had freedom in the sense that I wrote whatever story was eating at my mind. In the second, although I still had the freedom to create the story, I had to go deep into my subconscious and get the characters to speak, even when it wasn't their time yet.

The SEAL trilogy tells the interconnected stories of three SEALs, of which only Hawk appears to be ready to reveal himself. Needless to say, I find, as a writer, his story (The Hunter, coming out on June 28th, natch) the easiest to write, even though I was rudely interrupted by three hurricanes at that time. The other two guys were a bit more reserved than most of my 'men,' and I had to resort to lots of threats and cajoling to get into their secrets.

As usual, I'm digressing from the original topic. I finished Book Three of the second contract a week ago and am now in the throes of revision. Once that's over, I'm done. I get emails asking me to write about various characters in my books and it's hard for me to explain to the readers that I want to, but I haven't been contracted for those books. After all, I offered my publishers T.'s and Alex's story and they didn't want it. I took the SEAL contract instead, which was fine, since I had a bunch of SEALs anyway, LOL.

I have lots of options to take regarding my next contract, whether to start a whole new direction (I want to write a book about an ambassador spy) or to go with a series that has to do with mind control and simulation (it will be fun and dark) or to return to a sequel for Marlena and Stash, something dear to my heart. But I don't know which kind of contract I'll be getting. Will I get to write the story that's naturally on my mind, or do I get the offer from some publisher to write the story they're looking for?

I worry that it will become homework, you know? And uberspies hate tediousness, among many things.... Each kill becomes just another kill then. My agent is my life-support system when it comes to contracts and confidence. I guess that's how it should be for spies and writers--just tear open the envelope and read the next set of instructions. The secret is to make sure that I fulfill each contract in a unique way that is all mine. I aspire for uber-ness! Or an offshore account. Not picky.


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2 comments:

nightshield2003 said...

If you do get to write a book about an ambassador spy, will there be references to COS, Task Force 2, and our fave SEALs?

Gennita said...

I haven't thought about it yet. Maybe not. Maybe just in passing, like a character who the hero meets and isn't sure that he's a good guy or not ;-). What do you think?

But I want to look at spying from yet another angle, that's all.

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