I guess I ought to clarify the whole business with C. Robin likes it quite well as a future submission to Knopf. She doesn’t like it at all as a current submission to Onyx. It’s simply the wrong sort of book, but I knew that as I was writing it. I will definitely keep working on it — for the moment I simply have to set it aside to do a more commercial book.
I’m very, very glad I took the time I did to work on it, though. It was exactly the vacation my mind needed.
As for Hawkspar: It’s next up. I’ve had a decent time now to let it sit and get cold. When I go back in to look at it, I’ll be able to see it more clearly. With some books, I can work hot. This, however, is a vast project, and complex, and it needed the cooling-off time.
Today, though, I’m about a quarter of the way through the actual synopsis of my next Onyx proposal, and I love what I’m getting. Nor do I use the word “love” lightly. There’s a specific chemistry that Claire is looking for. Midnight Rain and Last Girl Dancing both had it in their final versions. But it took a long time and a lot of effort on both my part and Claire’s to get them to that final version. This time I’m hoping to get the chemistry right the first time round. So when I say “love,” I’m referring to feeling that specific chemistry, the same one that eventually existed in my previous two books for Claire.
There’s always the possibility that I’m wrong, of course. But that’s just part of the adventure.
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