Idaho45guy
04-15-2020, 07:49 AM
Well, sort of. I finished the rough draft. I have a good friend in Arizona who is a professional writer and editor and he and I went over the first few chapters a couple of months ago and edited them. I just finished writing the ending and sent a copy to my daughter to read. Tomorrow, I'll go to town and get a new printer cartridge and print out the complete book.
It ended up being 25 chapters and just over 55k words. The average mystery novel is between 40k and 80k words. So mine is a bit short, but, it is the first draft and I feel like I could have expanded on a few things.
The next step is to have my buddy edit it. My source for the book is an actual US Forest Service LEO who is also an English Lit major and public affairs official for the USFS. He is really excited about the book and will review it for accuracy. He read the first ten chapters and said it was really good. Once he reviews it and offers suggestions, then he can get an official endorsement from the USFS. That should help sales, lol.
I have another friend who has a series of books published that has been encouraging me. It's really humbling to have a group of people who are actual literary experts read the first ten chapters and say that what I produced was extremely good and very high quality.
It just seemed too easy to write. I sit down at my computer, drink some cheap boxed wine, turn on Alexxa to 80's Rock, and pound away until 5 am. What results is apparently quality writing.
My goal for the book is to get it published, sell a few thousand copies on Amazon, and give me enough financial room to quit my current mind-numbing and soul-crushing job so I can be a normal human being again and focus on churning out a few more book based on the character I created in the first novel.
The main character is named Justin Tanner. He's a US Forest Service LEO from a small rural town in Idaho who got his first job in Arizona. While stationed there, he met and married a beautiful archaeologist employed by the USFS. She ends up being murdered by a disturbed homeless person. Justin moves back home to Idaho to recover emotionally from the loss when another young woman ends up being killed in Idaho under the same strange circumstances. The novel portrays the ensuing investigation and hunt for the killer.
I have a second and third book planned based on the main character and his sidekicks.
My buddy in the USFS has been deployed around the globe in various missions from California to Costa Rica, and received training in everything from counter-terrorism to horseback riding in wilderness areas.
His job is the perfect backdrop for action/murder mystery writing.
I can't imagine making a living from drinking wine. listening to Van Halen, and pounding on a keyboard all night. We'll see...
It ended up being 25 chapters and just over 55k words. The average mystery novel is between 40k and 80k words. So mine is a bit short, but, it is the first draft and I feel like I could have expanded on a few things.
The next step is to have my buddy edit it. My source for the book is an actual US Forest Service LEO who is also an English Lit major and public affairs official for the USFS. He is really excited about the book and will review it for accuracy. He read the first ten chapters and said it was really good. Once he reviews it and offers suggestions, then he can get an official endorsement from the USFS. That should help sales, lol.
I have another friend who has a series of books published that has been encouraging me. It's really humbling to have a group of people who are actual literary experts read the first ten chapters and say that what I produced was extremely good and very high quality.
It just seemed too easy to write. I sit down at my computer, drink some cheap boxed wine, turn on Alexxa to 80's Rock, and pound away until 5 am. What results is apparently quality writing.
My goal for the book is to get it published, sell a few thousand copies on Amazon, and give me enough financial room to quit my current mind-numbing and soul-crushing job so I can be a normal human being again and focus on churning out a few more book based on the character I created in the first novel.
The main character is named Justin Tanner. He's a US Forest Service LEO from a small rural town in Idaho who got his first job in Arizona. While stationed there, he met and married a beautiful archaeologist employed by the USFS. She ends up being murdered by a disturbed homeless person. Justin moves back home to Idaho to recover emotionally from the loss when another young woman ends up being killed in Idaho under the same strange circumstances. The novel portrays the ensuing investigation and hunt for the killer.
I have a second and third book planned based on the main character and his sidekicks.
My buddy in the USFS has been deployed around the globe in various missions from California to Costa Rica, and received training in everything from counter-terrorism to horseback riding in wilderness areas.
His job is the perfect backdrop for action/murder mystery writing.
I can't imagine making a living from drinking wine. listening to Van Halen, and pounding on a keyboard all night. We'll see...