December 2004

In the past four months, I've learned quite a bit about myself, but one of the main lessons is simply this:  I'm terrible at updating.

I started this web-site with the best of intentions.  In the beginning, I wanted to update readers weekly on what was going on, whether the information was about the novel, touring updates, appearances, or any old news item.  That lasted about six months, simply because I realized that I was writing pretty much the same thing every time I sat down to do an update.  After that, I resolved to update the web-site once a month.

Any frequent visitors have seen how that goes.  What was my last update?  September?  It's embarrasing, to tell you the truth.  I should have at least written something, and I'm sure you're all on pins and needles as to what's coming next. . .

Nah. You shouldn't be.  My life isn't that exciting on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis.  Really.  I could bore you like I was before, but I think that from now on, these updates will come when I think I have something new or interesting to say, which to be frank, isn't all that often.

So what's happened since September?  Well, I finished True Believer in December and the novel will be coming out in April.  From September to December, you can pretty much fill in my days with the following statements:

Writing was hard today.  Went slower than I expected.  I edited like crazy, struggled with every sentence, and spent about 8-10 hours at the computer.  Any energy left went to spending time with the family.

That was it.  My entire fall.  No trips, no exciting news.  Just sitting at the computer while I bumped my head against the screen.  In other words, you didn't miss much.  It would have been just a bunch of whining, and I'm not big on whiners.  It's much better to keep those things to yourself, to bottle it up inside and take your chances with an ulcer. 

So why was this book so hard?  Who knows.  I've written 10 books now and some have been hard and some have been easy.  The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, Nights in Rodanthe and Three Weeks with my brother were easy. The Rescue, A Bend in the Road, The Guardian were hard.  Message in a Bottle and The Wedding were tricky; slow but steady, as if walking on a tightrope.  I'm hoping for an easy one next, by the way.  I like easy ones. 

Okay, so what else?  Let's see.  I have an idea for a pilot out with ABC.  The script is written and we're waiting to hear from the network.  The pessimistic side of me doubts that the show will air, but who knows.  I think it's a fantastic concept; new and original.  But what do I know.

As for films, the best next bet is Nights in Rodanthe.  If the script comes out the way the studios want it, filming is likely.  But since I haven't seen the script, I can't tell you whether or not the film will be made.

And finally, as to the next book. . . yes, I've decided on what it will be.  It will be out in September, and it's a sequel to True Believer.  (My first sequel; The Wedding was more of a follow-up to The Notebook than an actual sequel).  Very exciting.  You'll love the characters from True Believer, and it's one of the reasons I decided to do the sequel.  This couple has more story to tell, much more.  I'd fill you in on the story-line for the sequel, but I'm still noodling with it, and hope to have it all worked out within the next couple of weeks.

But as for True Believer. . . it's the story of Jeremy Marsh, a journalist from New York, who ventures to a small southern town to investigate a ghost story.  As with all my stories, love is the centerpiece, and he happens to meet a charming young librarian, Lexie Darnell.  Together, they begin to learn the truth and. . .

Lest you think you know what happens in the end, you don't.  Trust me.  You don't.  But you will know by the end of the sequel.

Other than that, not much has happened at all.  Oh, my agent, Theresa Park, opened her own literary agency.  It's called Park Literary Group, and I'd like to wish her the best in her new venture.

Until next time. . .

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