From about 2001 to 2007, I juggled three novel manuscripts, sporadically dipping in and out of them as first one and then another captured my attention. I started writing the first novel, The Night before Christmas, in the 1970s. Family History, the second novel, was begun in the 1980s. The third novel, Runemaster, was actually begun in the current decade.

Some people say that you should consider your first novels as practice and store them away in a trunk or closet. I tried that, but every year or so, the characters in my novels would call to me. They were unhappy being housed in a cardboard box. They clamored to be between the covers of a book and shelved with other books. Until that happened, their creative cycles would not be complete, and that lack of completeness would  continue to be a drag on my ability to create new work.

At the beginning of 2008, frustrated with the regular submission process, I decided to self publish The Night before Christmas.  Since I am better at writing than promoting, I haven't sold many copies, but my characters, Betty and Wes, no longer haunt me. The story of their marriage is in a book and available on lulu.com if anyone should choose to buy it.

For the rest of 2008, I struggled with what to do with Family History. Here was another novel filled with characters I had loved for decades. At first, I planned to self publish again. Then, I considered the traditional route, only to remember how months and years can go by waiting for agents and editors to reply. At last, I decided to go with Publish America. I realize there are pros and cons to this decision, but for me, giving the book a final form in the light of day will release me to create new projects.

Now, I can give my attention to Runemaster, a story I actually started in this decade. My goal is to complete it in this decade. Since this is 2009. I'd better get to work.