Giving thanks

by Kris Neri, with the Femmes Fatales

In this month of gratitude and giving thanks, I have so much to be thankful for: a roof over my head, enough (too much!) food in my belly, reasonably good health, friends near and far, Netflix, and…

I have a new book coming out!

My next novel, Hopscotch Life, will be out mid-March.

Someone asked me recently if the publication of a new book ever gets old. If that means will I ever feel blasé about it, absolutely not. 

However, right now, I’m immersed in proofing my galley. Many, many times. Forward, backward. Okay, if I’m telling the truth, that gets old. It’s simply hard to proof something I know so well. My mind simply fills in the missing words, and skips over the extra ones. Apart from needing to do a hard, unenjoyable job well, moving along the publication process is always exciting! It means the gestation of project you feel passionate about sharing is drawing closer.

Hopscotch Life is a departure for me, and that makes it extra exciting. I’m one of those writers who likes writing variety. That’s why I skip from novels to short stories, humorous mysteries, to humorous paranormals.

And now, to general fiction. Sorta. Although I am at heart a devoted mystery writer and reader, I was in a general fiction book club for ten years, and I read mountains of mainstream fiction during my ten years as a bookseller. I wanted to see how well I
could write more of a book club-type book. The blurb for Hopscotch Life does read like one:

Poor Plum Tardy. Between being saddled with a goofy name, to the way she misquotes adages, to her quirky style of dress, Plum always feel out of synch with other people. But even if others do seem to move in lockstep to successes Plum can’t even imagine, while she erratically leaps through life as if it were some giant hopscotch court, that doesn’t explain the startling way her life unravels.

After losing her job, Plum catches her fiancé Noah Rowle in the act with sexy Claire Denton, his partner in a real estate deal designed to allow the soul-sucking Budget-Mart chain to gobble up blocks of land across the country. Thinking her life couldn’t get any worse, she also learns he’s cheated her financially. Desperate to flee, Plum stumbles onto a bag of cash. Assuming that to be the booty Noah took from her, she runs off with it, toward a destination that’s just a name on a map. There, Plum finds a quirky town that needs someone like her. In one crazy leap, she not only makes that place her home, she thinks she’s hit on a way to stop to Noah and Claire’s land score.

But while Plum tries to help her new town halt the steamroller of progress, even with her unconventional perspective she could not have predicted the way her past would collide with her present. Will her offbeat approach save her, or land her in behind bars in hopscotch hell?

In fact, though, I hedged my bets a bit. In my mysteries or paranormal mysteries, I devote
roughly 75% of the action of the advancement of the main plot, and roughly 25% to the personal growth and relationship subplots. It’s a nice balance.

For Hopscotch Life, I reversed that percentage: 75% devoted to the personal growth and relationship narration, and 25% to the crime aspect. Yes, I call it general fiction, but it still contains a crime. Since all those years ago when Nancy Drew first led me into what's been a long life of crime, it's hard to imagine anyone’s life without a little crime mixed in.

In January's blog I’ll share a little more about crime enters Plum Tardy’s topsy-turvy
life.

For now, I'll just say I’m especially thankful that Plum entered my life and my imagination.

So, in addition to the many blessings I’m thankful for, I’m insanely happy that Hopscotch Life is slowly making it’s way to the market. And I’m grateful for a supportive
publisher, Greg Lilly of Cherokee McGhee Publishing.

What are you especially grateful for this November?

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

 

Comments

[Deb Romano]

I have recently been very, very ill and I am grateful that I recovered and am regaining my strength. I’m also grateful that soon I’ll get to read your new book, Kris!

[krisneri]

Oh, Deb, I'm so glad you're doing better! What great news. I hope you'll be at full strength soon. Big hugs for you.

[Pat Tracy]

Can't wait to read it! Plum sounds so fun. ♡♡♡♡

[krisneri]

Thanks, Pat. I had great fun writing Plum.