Melrose - First Blood (Progress #2)

My first blog post of the week is an update on how my writing of Melrose - First Blood is coming along.

As you probably already know, I'm writing something a little different from my usual genre with this book. Melrose is aimed at older Young Adults - 16+. It has adult themes and younger adult characters (22 -25 years of age). It's also set in contemporary times and touches on the paranormal. But, it's no vampire story (or if it is, then it's vampires like you've never seen them before!).

I'm currently 45,000 words into an 80,000 word novel and the book gets more and more intense every week! Things have already risen to near fever pitch with exciting plot lines, and characters displaying all sorts of traits and trickery. My protagonist and antagonist will surely soon be thrust together in ways that will not end well I fear! It's been a different experience writing a book based on places I know (as opposed to the land of fantasy in which I usually stay) and using characters that you may even meet on your next trip down the street (although there are certain characters I would hope you never meet - for your own sake).

So, last week I promised a little background and it's only fair that I give you some. My leading antagonist is a twenty-three year-old man named Beau Tempest (And as one character says when she hears his name: "It sounds like something out of a romance novel. Something my mother would read." - But oh how wrong she would be!). He's a nasty piece of work and will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Oh, and what he wants is the sweet twenty-two year-old protagonist, tall blonde Lucy Weatherington. But Lucy is playing a little hard to get. She's been warned about Beau's ways with the women and doesn't want to become just a notch on his bedpost. Speaking of which... No one seems to know just what happened to any of Beau's previous girlfriends. Hmm. Even I would be a little worried if I knew that.

I'm excited to finish this first Melrose novel and the intent is to have the draft manuscript complete by the beginning of August. Then it will be a mad rush to get it edited and proofed, ready for a fall release. You'll have to watch out for opportunities to win early copies or invitations for reviewers. I definitely think this is my best novel yet...


Back to the plot... I'll give you more background next week. Until then, try a little of my fantasy stuff - buy a copy of Xannu - The Prophecy. It's only $0.99 for a full 125,000 word novel - that's a pretty good deal. It's available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords. Think Harry Potter meets The Chronicles of Narnia, during The Lord of the Rings!