It's challenging getting back into characters that I haven't had very much to do with in more than a decade. Granted, one of them made a brief appearance in The Chronicles of Nightfire, Texas, and I did write the first six pages of the Cry, Wolf sequel some time after the first book was published, but for the most part, I had left the few characters returning for book II behind when I published Cry, Wolf in late 1999.

There really are very few characters returning for part II. Only two of the first book's cast are returning in large roles this time around. One is the obvious, central character who we all knew would be in this new book; the other should be unexpected, as I killed him in book I, and he has returned for book II as a restless ghost. Think of him as a less dignified, foul-mouthed, chain-smoking Obi-Wan Kenobi. That description should be a clue for fans of the first book.

The other possible returning characters aren't the sort that fans would jump for joy over, and they are presently only making cameos. One is another ghost, who really has nothing at all to say at this point, but may need to be seen at least once by the primary werewolf in this part of our tale. Another is a character who everyone was meant to hate but just happenned to survive, and the last is a character I threw in at the very end of the book with absolutely no explanation as to who he was or where he came from. That was a big literary no-no, I knew even as I did it, but it will all make sense when you see this as a series, rather than just one novel. He had to be there at the end of book I, if his presence in future books was to make any sense.

When I outlined Cry, Wolf, I saw it as a complete story. There were no sequels. However, by the time I'd nearly finished writing the manuscript, I realized there was more to say. There was another story to tell, and if I were ever to decide to tell it, I would certainly look back and be glad that I stuck Julius in at the end of the first book.

I'm struggling to outline this new book's chapters without having "spoken" to the central cast of characters in so long. I'm hoping they come back to me, as I go along. In fact, I'm certain that they will. After all, it was they who told me there was another tale to tell.

Two new haikus, #s 78 and 79 were posted today. #77 was posted on December 31, and #s 74, 75, and 76 were posted on December 21. I am sucking at meeting my deadlines, I know. I simply keep forgetting to post the things! I am sorry, and I will stay on the ball a great deal better from here on out. There has been a lot of stress in my life recently, as the future of the church I work for has been uncertain, which means my youth program, and ultimately my heart are on the line as well. A vote this past Sunday gave us some more time and a few month of breathing before yet another vote will make the ultimate decision of whether or not the church will move forward or close its doors for good. I see every reason to move forward, in a newer building that won't bleed us dry. I am optimistic. :)

Last week, I typed up a new writing/publication schedule, because this year I really must change the entire focus of my writing. I have to look at the reality that I may lose my day job at some point this year over cutbacks. I don't realistically have the time or the money to invest in putting together the promotional events I dream up, or even lately, ebooks with all of their formatting and beautiful cover art. I do have time to write, however.

The solution is a simple one. I need to find an agent who believes in my work, who can convince a larger publisher to believe in it, so that I can write, and at least have some little something to fall back on, should the worst transpire with the White Rock youth program.

That being taken into account, "The Trial of Ooga Booga" ebook has been removed from the release schedule for the time being. This is not a cancellation of the project. This is simply a response to the many technical issues I am facing when it comes to my ebook line. Not all of my equipment survived the move from Hades last summer. I have not yet been able to replace some essentials, such as my scanner. I estimate the Ooga Booga story will be returned to the release schedule soon, likely for a summer release, assuming I don't land a contract that changes things. There should also be at least one non-haiku release before then, should my new schedule pan out.

The book I'll be trying to sell to an agent initially will be Metrognomes. I'm also looking at beginning work on the sequel early this year, and have been trying to locate my illustrator, who I have not heard from since she was married a while back. Whether Molly surfaces or not, the Metrognomes series will continue, with illustrations. I just really hope to find her before the project moves on without her. She adds so much grace to any project she works on. She was the soul of Metrognomes. Her artwork is like adding a John Williams soundtrack to a book! Second to none.

Meanwhile, I am gearing up to get back to my werewolf series. I reviewed the character list and major plot points for Book II just a while ago. Today, I plan to break the story for this installment into a chapter-by-chapter outline. I'll start shopping this series to agents as well, once the second book is written and the first one revised.

As I seek an agent who believes in all this, I will still go on as before. If a book I'm writing hasn't been picked up, I will go ahead and seek alternative publication, to keep the business going for my readers. So, I will not be waiting on an agent to accept me, I will just have to make changes if an agent does.

For now, stay tuned for more info on the long-awaited and much demanded sequel to Cry, Wolf.