Monday, April 21, 2014

The Start of a New Adventure / Thriller Series: Writing Book 1

Connie and I have been working away on the first book in her series for the last couple of weeks.  She didn't like the cover I used in the last post; she thought it looked too much like the Bluewater Thriller covers.  She wants her own look, so we're working on that.  Any comments would be welcome; we probably need a referee or two.

We've also had more than one set-to about her behavior.  She keeps reminding me that she's not as volatile as her friend Dani Berger.  After all, she's a little older, and she's had a few more hard knocks, besides coming from a completely different background.  She's a bit more mellow, or at least she thinks she is. Time will tell.

We're doing all right, though, in spite of some minor differences.  She was right about having a story of her own.  We're about 20,000 words into it now, and it's moving along smoothly.  She's got me hooked, at least.

After spending some time in the Annapolis, Maryland, area fitting out her boat, she's now a couple of hundred miles off Cape Hatteras on her way to the Virgin Islands.  Paul Russo, her first mate and cook, couldn't make the trip with her, so she's stuck with pick-up crew.  Kirsten and Jimmy are a mismatched couple, each with their own agenda.  Connie's suspicious of Jimmy, but she's growing fond of Kirsten.

There's trouble brewing with Kirsten and Jimmy; we're going to see just how mellow Connie is when things turn nasty aboard Diamantista, her 56-foot yacht.  I'm braced for another struggle with her as she deals with the first challenge to her role as captain.  I'm sure she'll have her own ideas about how to handle the problems that are coming her way, and I already know that she's tougher than she lets on.  That's come across clearly as she's set me straight on some of my misapprehensions in the early part of the story. 

5 comments:

Author Bob Nailor said...

As to cover, I agree, the original was too much Bluewater-ish. I like this cover BUT I am not sure about the day lily hanging there in space altho it does give a splash of color to a beige background. I like your Bluewater covers for their brightness. Perhaps a white cover w/ black lines? Also, I'd take the ":" out and just leave it be "LOVE FOR SAIL" with the 2nd line being something like " - A Connie Barrera Thriller - " subtitle. Not that I'm any artist or expert in these things. Just my personal opinion. I like the cover but it doesn't draw me in. Does that make sense?

Lisa Jey Davis said...

I agree with Connie (and Bob) - she needed a look of her own. I like the cover, but personally, something always bothers me about having a well-lit photo of someone in front of an obvious other type of background. It would be REALLY cool if you could cartoonize Connie's face (and I mean in the vein of 70's Sunday Comics maybe so the colors would go well with the backdrop), still keeping her looking as sexy and beautiful as she is. Also the lily may need to be someplace else … perhaps on the spine, or incorporated into the text of the title? But only if it's significant to the story… I would make it less obvious. Just some thoughts! Looking great!

Anonymous said...

The story sounds good and I like that Connie is asserting herself. As for the cover, I don't think her facial expression meshes with her opinion of being a mellow person. The lily intrigued me. I am assuming it has some significance to the story line.

Unknown said...

Theres nothing like the adventure of writing, sounds like a great story. Enjoy the research!

Anonymous said...

So cool when one of your characters needs a book of their own! It's like they write themselves for you! The book is a thriller, right? Maybe it can scream thriller a bit more. This looks pretty sexy, pretty flower-like. Just my two cents. Congrats on a new book!

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