Hello,

I’m on the home stretch with the first Owen Story novel and I do feel a little sad I’m done with it but on the other side of the coin and a wonderful thing too; is that I feel exhilarated in moving on to the next book though I thought I’d feel the opposite. But for some reason finishing--I mean completing the first; totally completing it --has just opened up so many new ideas and story lines for the second that I know I’ll be all right writing it and the ‘fear of the next novel’ has turned to joy. Can I make it as good as the first—no—better? Well, I have to; the second novel has to be better than the first at least in a number of substantial ways if it’s going to hold together as a trilogy. Take for example the Lord of the Rings. I liked The Fellowship because it was a good story line and it placed the characters; The Two Towers, loved it. I was familiar with who the characters were and their roles but the storyline ramped it up for me, it was surprising, intense, unforgettable so that I couldn’t wait for the last movie. The Return of the King was good and I wouldn’t have missed it because it connected the previous movies to a successful end. The movies were a truly satisfying trilogy and its how I want the Owen Story novels to be.

I know I have a long road a head in writing the next book but I’m looking forward to the process with a greater enthusiasm than I thought I every would. I welcome the challenge of getting deeply into the second novel and making it great; then completing the trilogy with the third; this will definitely be tinged with sadness yet the fact I would’ve gotten there and its up to me to create a wonderful ending for the series will be a dream come true.

If you have any comments or suggestions please e-mail me at my new address: shabazzl@adasbcc.org.

Until next time, God willing,

Lori