Buba’s Books: Writing Update NEW WIP!! Gator 911

Hi all, if you also follow me on twitter you know I’m super jazzed up about having started a new WIP!

I finally wrapped my edits on And They Called Her Stormbringer and sent out my first big batch of query’s second week of March. I debated about doing another editing pass on Draft 2 of One Half A Dead Witch but I gotta be honest I am burnt out on editing. The thought of having to hack 10-15k out of that MS just about killed me.

So instead!!

I started formally plotting out a book idea I’ve had simmering on the back burner for a few years, tentatively titled Gator 911. (Thank you  @IndieHorrorWri1 for the suggestion, it was so much snappier than what I was going to go with!)

Gator 911 is a contemporary medical drama set in a rural hospital in East Texas that follows a doctor and nurse that are sisters struggling to keep their family and their hospital from collapsing.

Key players include:

Dr. Grace Salinas (39), ER Physician, newly un-engaged and returned or exiled, depending on your perspective, to her hometown of Salt’s Bayou as of 6 months ago.

Aricela Salinas (34), ER nurse and serial monogamist back in a rocky relationship with her on again off again boyfriend, a local cop, who’s been holding the family together in her sister’s absence.

Also, Salt’s Bayou local town legend and source of many mishaps, Big Salty (50+?), a very large, blind in one eye, gator that people claim is really a 20 ft long saltwater crocodile.

I started actually writing early this week and am about 5k in and I gotta say after nearly a year in revisions on various WIPs I am euphoric to be writing new material for a brand new story. I am so excited to watch this world flesh out beneath my fingertips.

Big Goals for this weekend are as follows:

Get at least to 15k.

Develop the character of Grace’s Ex- Fiance (NAME?? JOB?? Any distinguishing characteristics other than Betrayer and destroyer of worlds)

Stay tuned for updates!

 

 

Status Update on One Half A Dead Witch WIP – 1.18.20

5 things my WIP contains:

A half dead witch

A copper dragon having an identity crisis

A Jewish warlock

Happy lesbians

Magical homebrewing

After some soul searching and talking to several friends who love witch books, I’ve decided NOT to rename One Half A Dead Witch to Burned Bridges. The votes are in and despite my handling witches in a new and different way, they’re still witches. Plus I adore witches, and I’ve been viewing this as my homage to modern witchcraft for too long to give it up.

*Cue occult background sounds*

https://pixabay.com/photos/candle-candlelight-ceremony-occult-1868640/

I’ve been working on draft 2 regardless of this decision to not change the working title. It looks like my draft 0 has enough material to become 3 books, so that was an interesting discovery. I’m currently about 2 chapters from the end of Draft 2 Book 1, and I’m actually very happy with the midpoint climax that I’ve turned into a final Climax. The two month time skip I inserted about halfway through draft 1 is the perfect place to split off Book 1.

I spent the last 2 months really beefing up the collusion of the minor antagonist with the main antagonist. I think it will give book one a more satisfying arc, plus every good antagonist need minions and spies.

Another focus has been on authentic character building.  I’ve been digging in and doing a lot of research so that I can properly portray the book’s secondary lead Dinah, who is a Jewish Warlock, and a happily married lesbian mom. It’s very important to me that I do justice to writing her and her family. If there are any Jewish writers out there I would love to chat with you to get your feedback on her.

On that note here are the last lines I typed:

Sara-Madigan thought this was a bad idea. Mara could tell because she had her arms wrapped around herself, left hand jammed in the back right pocket of her dress pants, right hand in the front left, hands fisted. Mara wanted to ask how she’d found women’s dress pants with front and back pockets.