Sorry to take so long with this update. Work in general has been difficult for me this week as I’ve had a hard time concentrating on anything. Whenever I sit down at the computer, I have to check on the Gulf of Mexico oil spill and I’m often sidetracked by that for some time. How could something so awful happen and how come it’s not on everybody’s mind 24-7? Are we really so shallow we can forget so easily about death and destruction in our own backyard? Shouldn’t Americans be watching each development with baited breath, much as we’ve watched so many catastrophes unfold before it?

But I digress.

Back on the writing front, I approved my galleys for Secrets of the Lotus, so yay! Now Lyrical Press works a little magic on it and turns it into an ebook, which is scheduled for release on July 5, 2010. You can check out a sneak peek here: Secrets of the Lotus.

Next weekend I’m looking forward to attending the New Bern Literary Symposium. I’ve signed up to attend two workshops on Saturday, including one on Paranormal Romance. Should be a lot of fun and I’m really looking forward to it.

Finally, I’m still working hard on my next novel. This one’s been much more difficult to write than Secrets of the Lotus was, despite the fact that I’m certain I’ve got a good feel for the story and the characters. I keep finding ways to shift the focus a little and make it better, though, and that usually entails going back over the 40,000-some words I’ve already written, cutting here and inserting there. I can’t exactly say this one has been as fun to write as Secrets was, but I do believe it will be better. If I ever finish it.