Deborah Jackson

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

New Release in the Works


Hi there. Yes, it’s been ages since I updated you on my current and future projects but, inevitably, I’ve run into some delays. I can only work as fast as my team—referring to my editor, cover artist and typesetter. They’re amazing, so I’m not really complaining.

So . . . finally we’re getting closer to completion.

Mosaic has a cover, and you will find the blurb and some information here. You can also read Chapter One here.

I received one third of the manuscript from my editor last week. Since then, I’ve been working on final fixes. This novel took me four years to complete. Usually I don’t share much of the process of writing a novel, but I grew so frustrated with this one, and rewrote it so many times, I thought you might be interested in the ugly truth of revision. So I’m baring my soul—revealing the earliest drafts and taking you through the stages of transformation.

Before I even wrote this novel I was captivated by the setting—islands called Sanibel and Captiva in Florida. When a setting intrigues me, I usually begin digging into the history of that region. Since pirates actively employed these islands as bases for their operations, the pirate stories interested me the most. But pirate tales are rarely as romantic as those in the swashbuckling Pirates of the Caribbean series, so my story is a little more truthful.

This brings me to the Parental Advisory. This book is a teen novel, but it has some mature content and language that would not be appropriate for younger children or even young teenagers—13 to 15. In my attempt to be more realistic, my main character, who is a hockey player, uses language that fits her personality but may be offensive to some readers. Also, to truly expose the shattered lives in this book and understand the nature of piracy, I opted for a heavier situation with the associated mature content. It is not explicit, but it is not intended for younger readers.

Mosaic is also an experiment in structuring a book to match its theme. You’ll find it very unusual. Since that is the case, I’ve been working with my editor and artist to develop icons that will cue the reader to the abrupt transitions.

You may wonder why I decided to structure the book in this way. Let’s just say I was growing tired of the standard structure and I wanted to do something different. I’ve always wanted to add a visual component to writing, and I do love a good puzzle, so here is my attempt at a little artistry. The structural elements may be refreshing to some and annoying to others, but I hope you will appreciate the time and thought involved, if not the final product.

Mosaic is not the only project I’m working on. Over the past eight months I’ve been writing the first draft of another science fiction/near future speculation novel that involves archaeology and also some space exploration. This novel requires extensive research and it is taking me some time to complete. At the moment I’m two-thirds through the first draft, but I’m taking a break (if it can be called that) to explore new scientific research that will impact the story. This will be the longest book I’ve ever written with a number of complex characters and a mystery, like in Ice Tomb, that has global implications—if not universal.

So there you have it: the reason I’ve been semi-silent for so long. I have been making an appearance on Twitter and Google, but mainly to share photos—a hobby that helps clear my mind after a heavy session of writing or research. If you have any questions about Mosaic or my other project (although most of it I’ll be keeping under wraps for now), please feel free to contact me or add a comment below.

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