I'm going to borrow a page from Chris Holm and begin chronicling the history of my individual stories immediately after their completed. This is, without a doubt, more for me than anything else. Something I can look back on.
Before I start writing a new story, I put in a short note at the top of the document saying when and where I was at that moment and then I add to the note as the story progresses. "The Bone Orchard Mystery" started over a year ago in New York, I continued working on it in southeastern Europe over the winter and into spring and finally polished it up in Maine. It's a Cash and Miles western that involves the most mystery I have infused into one of these adventures. It's the fourth in the series.
The plot revolves around the wealthy McAllister family of Twin Falls, Wyoming, and the puzzling death of an estranged prodigal son from England. When a sibling commits suicide on McAllister's grave, Marshals Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles investigate the circumstances of these untimely deaths that just may include a ghost haunting the cemetery.
Today, I dropped the story in the mail and it’s on its way to NYC to one of The Big Two. It may be a little racy for them (Cash, in particular, has a propensity for calico queens) but, if rejected, I still have confidence that I've turned in a first-rate western mystery.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Not being a western expert I'm curious about who the Big Two are. Can you tell me?
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the submission.
Sounds intriguing. I'm huge on ghost stories.(Hugs)Indigo
ReplyDeleteBrian, Kind, sorta the unofficial names for Ellery Queen/Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazines. AHMM, in particular, has published similar pieces to ORCHARD.
ReplyDeleteIndigo, I love a good ghost story myself. Most recent favorite was Nicole Kidman in THE OTHERS.
Best wishes on your submissions! Looking forward to more adventures of Cash and Miles.
ReplyDeleteHey, that's a cool idea. It's interesting to see what goes on behind closed doors.
ReplyDeleteThe plot sounds really interesting, too.
Where does a person find the Cash and Miles stories already published?
ReplyDeleteYou are right about The Others. It's a good one.
Good luck with the submission! I'm sure it's excellent.
ReplyDeleteBest of luck!
ReplyDeleteAloha from Waikiki :)
Comfort Spiral
Thanxs Cullen!
ReplyDeleteAnd thanks Shannon. I'm notoriously slow at writing, so I'm not sure how frequent these behind scenes will happen.
Ron, "Cash Laramie and the Masked Devil" is in A FISTFUL OF LEGENDS (Express Westerns) and "The Wind Scorpion" will be in BEAT to a PULP: ROUND ONE. And I believe you already read "Miles to Go."
Chris/Cloudia, Gracias.
Good luck, David. I guessed the big two were EQ and AHMM. All the very best...and watch out for those aspirin. They're bad for you...oh no, now they're good for you...woah, they're bad again... :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah, strokes run in my family (dad and grandfather) and I've paid attention to the great aspirin debate. I go through periods where I take the occasional baby aspirin and then some report scares me off. And then it's ok again. Go figure.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the big two, David.
ReplyDeleteThanks Patti.
ReplyDeleteLet me toss in a finger's crossed. The Cash and Miles have been a blast to read.
ReplyDeleteSure sounds like you've turned in a first-rate Western. I wish you all the luck that's going. Interesting to hear of your chronicling plans and your method of note-making.
ReplyDeleteHello from Dublin, Ireland.
ReplyDeleteHere's wishing you every success. It's so interesting to find a blog where a writer shares activities surrounding work in progress.
Good luck! Hope in a few years can say "well, i was commenting at his blog back in the beginning of his career"
ReplyDeleteThanks RR.
ReplyDeleteDave, I'm a history nut. Both my own and others.
Photographe à Dublin, I was thinking folks may have found it boring (and maybe the ones that didn't comment did. :)
Thanks for stopping by.
Deka, Thank you, sir. And success would be nice but I will continue to write no matter what.
How exciting! I really wish I had it in me to write mysteries. I wish you the very best of luck!
ReplyDeleteIt's easy. Just introduce a shifty eyed butler, a family that hates each other, and murder. The writing works itself out.
ReplyDeleteYou nailed precisely why I do it. It's a record of sorts, of where I've been and what, writing-wise, I've been doing. I'm not much of a diarist, so it's my way of making sure there's a record of all my meager exploits.
ReplyDeleteAnd I've got a good feeling about Cash and Miles hitting the big time... or at least the Big Two.
Chris, Thanks for the vote of confidence. We'll see what happens because there's lots of talented authors battling for that space.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the Big Two. I look forward to reading this one -- I hope it's in EQMM since that's the one subscription I have.
ReplyDeleteNaomi, I will let you know but you may have to get another subscription. :)
ReplyDelete