Sequel update!

You know how, when you're so involved in a particular writing project, it takes over your mind to such an extent that you can't think of anything else? Yeah, that's me and the sequel to Alchemy right now. On the way to work today, I kept trying to think of a blog post idea, but my mind kept drifting back to the next chapter I was supposed to be writing. So I talked to Sheena and Melanie, and they graciously said I could talk about what's happening with Pyromancy in my blog, as long as I didn't give away any spoilers.*

So! The sequel. In a way, it's been easier to write, because we all know our characters so well by now. But it's also harder, because there are so many opportunities and storylines to explore, and so many possible character interactions. We won't talk about how many words we're at right now, when we're - hopefully - at the halfway point of the novel. And none of us have been committed to an insane asylum yet, so that's a plus.

The really strange thing has been to have the book set in Carlsbad, California. The selection of the location was actually a random pick by Melanie, and so I got to say, "You know I work in Carlsbad, right?" I suppose that in my head, I consider fantasy books to be set in magic, romantic places.... not the annoying suburb-choked city that I associate with too-early mornings and endless fog. But hey, sometimes fantasy is about finding magic in the most ordinary of things.

Here are some exciting things that the sequel currently contains:

-magic, army style

-surfing

-fabulous hairstyles

-an international criminal consortium

-sledding

-spies

-awesome jazz

-pelicans

-eggs

-more angst than you can shake a stick at

-exploding jello

And, of course, some of this:

Photo courtesy of wikimedia commons. Taken by John McColgan, employed as a fire behavior analyst at the Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.

We can't wait to share it with you. 

*Soylent green is PEOPLE!!!!