Next Project? - Sylvia Gillespie

So. I’m having trouble deciding what my next project to be, so I thought I’d list my finished books out, and see which one grabbed me.

Choice 1: Denara

I can’t find a name for this book, though I love the story and characters. I want to print it, sell it, but… it seems to be missing something. I don’t know what. The inspiration for this one? Garden gnomes, er, cats on Etsy. I can’t even afford them, but I want them.

Heavy Legacy 2: Chains of Salem

I’ve written it. Edited it, reedited it so many times I can’t be trusted as an editor, so I might as well publish it already. I just know the story. I also promised to release it quickly. But, since no one has purchased the first one, I don’t feel particularly rushed. Especially since the cover art I want is proving hard to get. My budget is in negative numbers. I actually paid Amazon to market the first book, with little results, so it’s hard to try again, but I’ve vowed not to give up this time.

So.

Pressing forward.

Choice 3: Homeless

This story has been with me for longer than my Salem witches, I think. Short story, movie, full-sized fantasy book… It’s seen it all and evolved spectacularly. I have castle layouts. I have geography. Humph, I even have the history of the whole fantastical continent, but still it sits in my finished folder without any accolades to its name.

Boo!! (That’s a hint by the way.)

To touch on my mental health. Way back in the day, I asked my partner to read Homeless and tell me what he thought. He said he didn’t like stories about kids, and then drank up the Harry Potter book series. This was long before we found out what JK had to say about the world. I always wish my favorite authors would keep their political nonsense to themselves. I already lost Orson Scott Card to bias, not JK?!

Not that I should talk. I’ve already been far more political here than I wanted.

Choice 4: Oooo… Buckle Boy! Er… Buck.

I’d forgotten about him. Imagine being named after the belt your father whipped you with and then becoming the head of a whole pirate family. I should have jumped on this short story, gone movie, gone book, when Pirates of the Caribbean came out.

But, like my witches, I chickened out and blamed my busy schedule for not being ready on time. When it was really a lack of skill, lots of self-doubt, and money troubles that had only just begun to flourish. A 2,000$ grant with no paybacks might have saved us then. It’s just laughable now.

But..

Could Buck win a crowd on his own now?

Choice 5: Fast Beautiful Cars?

Or, maybe you like Fast and the Furious?

Think of a kid born in my era (that’s Gen X by the by) who embraced the street racer life too young, lost his best friend in a race, and still has to figure out how to help raise his brothers in poverty. Sometimes there is a bottom you can’t get out of. Arrested and charged before you’re even legal drinking or voting age? Is it possible to come back?

This one was ‘Creative Writing for Entertainment’ born. The class wanted me to rewrite a children’s story for the current age. I chose the big bad wolf and the three little pigs. Sorry for the diversion, but I can’t say that line without singing:

Okay, so my brain is broken, and I wondered what would happen if the wolf protected the little pigs, instead of trying to eat them. That school assignment should probably go in the sadly neglected ‘Dump Chute.’