Driscoll Lake Series

Looking Back, Moving Forward

Published on January 2, 2020January 1, 2020 by Joan Hall16 Comments

Happy 2020 everyone. It’s a new year and a new decade. I intended to write a year-end post earlier in the week, but unfortunately, both my husband and I are recovering from the flu. Not an ideal way to begin a new year and both of us had the flu shot. So, this post is a combo of reflecting back and looking forward.

Looking back…

All in all, 2019 was a much better year for me than in 2018. I was glad to get that one behind me as it seemed there was one thing after another—car problems, changes at my job, and health issues for both my husband and me—to name a few. But even ending 2019 with illness, it was a good one.

Writing-wise, I had a productive year, although I only published one novel. Unclear Purposes, the third and final book of my Driscoll Lake Series, was published in late May.

I began keeping a word count of everything I wrote last year—novels, short stories, blog posts, and even book reviews. Although some of the things I wrote will likely not see the light of day, the word count made me realize what I can do. I finished the year with 228K words. That’s more than three novels!

Beginning in August, I began blogging regularly and learned I could blog every day. I started regular features including Mystery Monday, WIP Wednesdays, and Thursday Thoughts. Because of my commitment to NaNoWriMo, I took the month of November off from blogging and most social media outlets. Due to various reasons, December was also a sporadic month.

Speaking of NaNoWriMo, I made the goal of writing at least 50K words on a new project. I still have about 25K words to go, but that I’ve never completed two-thirds of a novel in a month before.

In addition to writing, I also read more in 2019. I set a Goodreads challenge of twenty books and finished out the year with thirty.

Moving forward…

I don’t make new year’s resolutions, but I do try to set goals. This is what I hope to accomplish in 2020:

Publish at least one novel. Cold Dark Night is the first of my new Legends of Madeira series. My goal is to publish it in late spring.
Woman in Black is a short (45-minute read) that is a prequel to Cold Dark Night. Initially, I planned to include it with a group of short stories, but I’ve decided to keep it separate. Look for this one also in the spring.
I still plan to publish a book of short stories—most likely in the fall. The name of the collection is still undetermined.
Ideally, I would like to publish the second book of the Legends of Madeira series in late 2020. The tentative name is Blood Red Dawn.
My reading goal for this year is twenty-five books.
You’ll also find me at Story Empire. We will celebrate our fourth year anniversary in late August.

In regards to blogging, I plan to continue Mystery Mondays. Tuesdays are set aside for book reviews and/or guest posts. Next week I’ll pick up with my Friday links posts. I probably won’t do WIP Wednesdays every week, but will post this feature at least monthly.

I’ll also continue Thursday Thoughts, but as with Wednesdays, I probably won’t post each week. One lesson learned in 2019 is the importance of finding balance. Writing is a priority for me, but I still hold a full-time job. I have some ongoing health issues that I need to see to (nothing serious), and more importantly, is to make time for family and friends.

I’m a natural introvert, and it would be easy for me to hibernate in my house and hide behind the computer screen. That’s not good. Everyone needs a break from writing and social media. It’s also important not to forget to enjoy being around those you love and care for.

So, there you have it. My goals for 2020. What about you? Please share in the comments.

Bad Moon Rising

Published on October 17, 2019September 12, 2021 by Joan Hall19 Comments

Hey everyone. No Thursday Thoughts this week. Today, I’m at Teri Polin’s blog for her month-long event, Bad Moon Rising.

I talk about my last release, Unclear Purposes, and a few more things like old cemeteries, zombies, and such.

I hope you’ll visit me on Teri’s site. And while you’re there check out the posts by other authors.

But before you go…

Unclear Purposes Playlist #WIPWednesday

Published on September 18, 2019September 12, 2019 by Joan Hall16 Comments

Hey, everyone. For today’s WIP Wednesday, I’ll share the third and final playlist for the Driscoll Lake Series. For this one, I began selecting songs while still brainstorming the plot. I shared in a post a few months ago, where Lyin’ Eyes inspired the storyline. (You can click here if you’d like to read that post.)

Two or three of these songs are mentioned by name in the book. There’s a scene near the end where Brian’s band plays Tom Petty’s “Refuge” at a local club.

As with the first two books, romance plays a role.

They sat in silence for a while, watching the flames dance in the fireplace. Even with the awkward moment earlier, Christine felt safe. Content. She could get used to this.

“Think you’ll ever marry again?” Vince’s voice was so low she almost didn’t hear him. Even so, she wasn’t sure she’d understood.

“What did you say?”

“Probably shouldn’t have been so blunt. I tend to say what’s on my mind.”

“I don’t have a problem with someone being frank, but your question caught me off guard.”

“Why? You’re an attractive woman. It’s been a while since Kyle’s death.”

“Guess I haven’t thought a lot about it. I’ve only been out on a few dates.”

“Easily changed. I’d like to make sure it does.”

She offered a tentative smile. “You don’t mince words, do you?”

“Everything that has happened the last few weeks has made me realize how short life can be. If someone has a chance at happiness, they should grab onto it and not let go.”

“Someone recently reminded me of that.”

“So, what do you think? Interested?”

Christine smiled. “I’m more than interested.”

And now for the playlist.

One of These Nights – The Eagles
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For – U2
Lyin’ Eyes – The Eagles
Let’s Live for Today – The Grass Roots
The Last Worthless Evening – Don Henley
Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival
Shame on The Moon – Bob Segar
We Have No Secrets – Carly Simon
Refugee – Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Someone to Lay Down Beside Me – Linda Ronstadt
I’m In You – Peter Frampton

So there you have it. Will I create a soundtrack for future works? I’m already thinking about which ones I’ll use.

Unclear Purposes Review #TuesdayBookShare

Published on September 10, 2019September 12, 2019 by Joan Hall5 Comments

Hey, everyone. I don’t have a review or guest this week, but Unclear Purposes is getting some love over at Marcia’s blog today for Share a Review Tuesday.

A bit of background. I never intended to write a series, but after a particular character demanded I tell his story in Unknown Reasons, I needed a third book to make it an actual series. Picking the female protagonist wasn’t hard. Who better than to have Stephanie’s long-time friend, Christine?

When I first wrote the minor character Vince Green in Unseen Motives, I didn’t plan for him to make another appearance. But then I thought why not have Vince and Christine get together? Both have minor roles in the second book, but they take center stage in this one.

Can you imagine a relationship beginning after stumbling upon a dead body? That’s what happened with these two.

Interested in knowing more? Click on here to read Mae Clair’s fabulous review of the third and final book of the Driscoll Lake series.

Unseen Motives Playlist #WIPWednesday

Published on September 4, 2019September 12, 2019 by Joan Hall16 Comments

Hey, everyone. It’s time for another WIP Wednesday. This week is another “work in publication.”

The idea of creating a playlist, or soundtrack for my novels didn’t occur to me until after I had published Unseen Motives. Given the main character in Unknown Reasons was a part-time drummer who loved music, it seemed fitting for that book.

But Stephanie Harris, the protagonist in my first novel, also has a love for music. She was largely influenced by her father. Unfortunately he died when she was only fourteen, but she never forgot the times when the two of them would go for drives in the car with the radio tuned to a Classic Rock station and the volume loud. (Her mother’s taste leaned more toward classical music, but that’s another story.)

I began putting together a list of songs. As with Unknown Reasons, the songs follow the book’s timeline. The only song mentioned by name in the book is Van Morrison’s “Wild Night,” but I tried to select others that fit the storyline. And yes, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” is relative to a scene near the end of the book.

Before I began writing this series, I didn’t intend for romance to play a part. It didn’t take long for me to discover Stephanie and Driscoll Lake Police Chief Matt Bradford were meant to be together. But they both have things from the past to deal with. Here’s a snippet from one of the scenes.

Matt and Stephanie lingered in the parking lot after the others departed. “Sorry about the crowd,” Matt said. “I should have known. Mary’s is always busy on Friday nights after games.”

“It’s okay. It was nice to visit with some of my high school friends.” Stephanie took a deep breath of the night air. “I’m glad I went to the game. I wasn’t sure how it would be, but I felt a sense of freedom tonight. Maybe I’m finally getting over the past.”

“But you still have questions. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have asked Kyle to write a second story.”

“Yes, I do. I realize the outcome probably won’t change, but I have to try.” She tried to blink away tears that threatened to fall. “I didn’t mean to get emotional.”

Matt wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. “Look, I know tonight wasn’t a real date, but how about dinner tomorrow? Just the two of us. We can go someplace in Brewster.”

Stephanie smiled. “I’d like that.”

“Good.” He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her lips.

Impulsively, Stephanie took her finger and traced the scar on his chin. “How did you get this?”

Matt took her hand and pulled it aside. Something flickered in his eyes. Pain? Hurt? Anger? Something else?

“It happened a long time ago. It’s getting late. You’re probably ready to go home.”

She jerked her hand away from his. “Maybe tomorrow night isn’t such a good idea.”

“Stephanie, I—” The ringing of his cell phone interrupted Matt’s words. He took it from his pocket and looked at the caller ID. “Damn. It’s the station. I’d better take this.”