Apology and Update - 50,000 word in!!!

​Firstly, allow me to apologize for missing last week’s blog entry.  I have no excuse other than the tragic fact that I’m getting old and, despite being retired from my career in Corporate America, I actually live a rather busy life.

Good. That’s out of the way.

Right now, as some of you know, I’m deep into my current project, which is a collaboration with my father (sort of), the nature of which always takes some explaining.  If you’d like to know more, check out the Current Project page.

As of this writing, I’m am nearly 50,000 words in.  That probably sounds like a lot, but this book is a “saga” of sorts and, as such, is going to run quite long, at least in its first draft.  I’m looking at somewhere around 200K by the time I’m done, though I’ll trim that down a bit as I edit later revisions.  All part of the process!

The story centers around three boys (Peter, John, and Angelo Donatello) who are forced to flee their home in rural Sicily to emigrate to American in 1914.  Once there, they struggle to make a life in an alien land that, frankly, doesn’t much want them there.  Along the way, they must weather sometimes violent prejudice, the advent of the first world war, and the rise of Prohibition, all in an effort to do, what to them, seems next to impossible – become American.

So far, I have no title.  I’m just calling it “Dad’s Book.”  😊

In addition to the book itself, there’s also “Legacy – A Novel Writing Experience,” which is an author’s tutorial that’s told through the “lens” of the writing of this book.

I’m excited about the book and its characters, which are a huge departure from my writing wheelhouse.  Since this is the first book I’ve written in retirement, I’m throwing myself into it pretty much completely.  The image of the project wall that I’ve included in this post bears that out, I think.  Suffice it to say that the challenges of this long and complex novel are kind of consuming me, which may be why last Thursday’s blog entry deadline “whooshed” by without my even noticing it.

The project has been generating a fair amount of interest and I’ve been fielding a lot of questions.  If you happen to have one, feel free to ask it by commenting on this blog entry.  I love getting feedback and will answer you promptly, I promise.

When I’m a little further in, and more certain of its content, I’ll see about posting a snippet or two from the novel for those of you who are interested.  Right now, the only folks who’ve heard any of it at all are the members of my local writing group!

Okay, that’s it for now.  Thank you for your interest and your patience.
Keep writing!