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This Issue:
Chance Encounters | Upcoming
Events | Chance for the Future | Hope
for Tomorrow | Faith in the Past |
Upcoming Projects
March
2, 2002
Welcome!
It's been a heck of a February. Things have been shifting and changing
but I've been keeping my eye on the ball. It's difficult to get a balance
between promotion and writing the next book. Through these difficult economic
times, I've been fortunate to retain consistent work, which makes it even
harder to accomplish that balance. So, despite the apparent lack of activity
at Chance Encounters (my latest article was from January) and a lack of
upcoming signings and events, things on the creative front are moving
swimmingly. And for the first Valentine's Day in a long time, I've had
someone special to share it with (Hi, Kim!). Despite the welcome distractions,
I've managed to complete the first draft of Faith in the Past,
but you'll have to read on to find out more about that. Also, this edition
of the Update is the first that will be posted and archived at my website.
Now on
to the usual subjects...
Chance
Encounters
I must apologize
for not writing a new article for February but I expect a new one within
the coming weeks for March. Nevertheless, change is in the air and that
usually means progress. It may come to a shock to some readers, but
I'm currently exploring housing Chance Encounters elsewhere on the Web.
I considered housing it on my site but I wanted something that would
garner attention and scoop up some traffic. AuthorsDen.com is now the
likely choice. I've had pages at AuthorsDen for well over a year but
I've never really done much with them. I like some of the features AuthorsDen
offers and I really want to keep everything in one place. AuthorsDen
is also visited frequently by readers rather than primarily other authors.
Besides, Matthew Miller, President of AuthorsDen was kind enough to
review Chance for the Future back in the day. Therefore, I'm
looking at what it would take to migrate the current Chance Encounters
content there and then follow that up with updates at AuthorsDen. I
haven't made any decisions yet, but that's what I'm thinking. Those
of you on the Update list will remain.
Check out www.authorsden.com
to see what a great set up they offer.
Oh, and if you haven't
seen my latest article, which deals with the making of the cover for
Chance for the Future, check it out at my site.
Upcoming
Events
Jonathan Martin
and I are putting together an event that will occur this spring, most
likely at our favorite stomping grounds (McKinzey-White Bookshop, Garden
of the Gods & Centennial). Jon is inches away from seeing Threkjshanelle:
Collection Two in print and I'll be signing copies of Hope for
Tomorrow. We're also working on some additional media coverage for
the event. More as the event takes shape.
Chance
for the Future & Hope
for Tomorrow
Colorado Availability:
In addition to the copies of Chance for the Future rotating through
Pike's Peak Public Library (there are four), Heroes & Dragons (Citadel
Mall) probably still has a signed copy, McKinzey-White still has a few
signed copies and Media Play (Citadel Crossing) still has two signed
copies of both Chance for the Future and Hope for Tomorrow.
Feel free to pick up a set today!
Faith
in the Past
The first draft
of Faith in the Past has been completed. It's a complicated story
of love and war that takes place mostly during the time period covered
in Chance for the Future. Yes. I'm sure many of you will be pleased
that we get to go back to the time when creativity has been banned.
Just about every character I've introduced in the previous two books
(except Maak) makes an appearance, so whoever your favorite character
is, you'll likely see him or her.
Currently, I'm making
another pass through the book. A couple weeks from now, it will be handed
off to a couple trusted editors. At that time, I'll turn my attention
to a few different things (see below) as well as start work on the cover
for FITP. For those of you who are familiar with my characters, you'll
be happy to know that the cover for FITP will most likely feature Faith,
Tannk and Nik Tavarone (yes, he's back). Faith will be portrayed by
Jamaica Lee Smith. Tannk will most likely be portrayed (I have yet to
take the photos) by David Puckett. Nik will be portrayed by Kris Cartwright.
I look forward to bringing these characters to life visually. Indeed,
I look forward to seeing this book in print and getting your reactions.
Unfortunately, FITP
may not see print as readily as HFT did. I'm considering shopping it
around to agents and traditional publishers (as I did with CFTF) before
going the same route I did with CFTF and HFT. More on that as it develops.
Upcoming
Projects
In addition to finishing
Faith in the Past this year, I have four other writing projects
on my plate as well as the next Fairlight novel. Let me tell you about
some of them.
1) The
Crockett Chronicles
Yes,
Chris Weil and I are hoping to finally publish these short story-style
gems about our unique friend, Shawn Crockett. Just over half of the
stories we want to tell have been written, however. That means that
both of us are going to have to crack the whip and get going. We hope
to publish by the end of the year, probably through POD publisher, iUniverse.com
(since neither Chris or I can imagine that any traditional publisher
or agent would be interested in such hokum). It'll probably be at home
on the humor shelf but you can judge for yourself. Current versions
of some of the stories are available online.
2) Travel
Tips for Every Day (unless I change the title)
I wish I could take full credit for the things I'll cover in this humorous
nonfiction book, but I can't. The truth is, I've been traveling with
Julie Mayfield and Chris Weil for nearly a decade and each time I go,
I always learn something. There's an interesting angle, however. I'm
taking things I've learned on the road and applying them to every day
life so, in addition to the humor, there's two applications to the book:
Using the tips in your traveling and improving the way you do things
by applying the tips to your every day life. Currently I have about
70 tips in the outline, which I actually fleshed out with short clarification
sentences last week. Organization of each tip has also already been
figured out and I've split the content into three categories. All that
really remains is writing the actual formatted tips so they make sense
to someone other than me. I'm hoping to shop this project around to
agents by summer, 2002.
3) Life is
But a Dream
It's my nonfiction book (first mentioned in my iU chat in October 2001)
about discovering and following your dreams. In it, I discuss issues
that I believe hinder us from fulfilling our true calling and present
some solutions that have worked for me in pursuing my dreams. I'm only
into chapter two and it's already generating interest among writer friends
who think their agents would be interested. Nevertheless, the book is
outlined and it's really just a matter of getting it all down. I hope
to shop it around by the end of the year.
4) My next novel
Nope. It probably won't be a Fairlight novel. I've got an idea I want
to pursue prior to picking up with my current series. It's tentatively
titled One of the Girls. What does it have to do with? Other
than the fact that it will sit on the same bookstore shelves as my Fairlight
books, It's too early to say. I haven't even thoroughly plotted it yet
(although flashes of it come at me when my mind is idle). I'm considering
telling it in first person too, which will be a challenge but I think
apt. Too early to tell if it will extend beyond a single novel though.
More info later so stay tuned.
5) Faith Restored
The fourth Fairlight novel was going to be Chaser of the Stars
(now slated as Fairlight #5). However, while in Tel Aviv, Israel in
November of 2000, another CFTF-era story came to me while I was studying
an Israeli History museum that dovetailed with some stray "cleansing
camp" ideas I'd had when visiting the Anne Frank Haus in Amsterdam
a year before. The result was a story I would have to tell sooner than
later.
A portion of the
premise for Faith Restored as it currently reads in my Palm Pilot:
Takes place
immediately after CFTF & FITP, detailing the final three offensive
battles to stamp out a return to Government rule. When Faith is captured
and thrown into a cleansing camp, Tannk spearheads the campaign within
the resistance to convince Mancy Fairlight, Nik Tavarone and Chance
to go after her.
Of course, despite
not having fully plotted the story, I've got a lot more in my PDA. Sharing
it with you would be premature, however, since I probably won't plot
this one until the middle of 2003. While it is true that you don't know
much about Faith now, rest assured that most of your questions about
her will be answered in Faith in the Past and, hopefully you'll
want more. Faith Restored will give you more.
God bless you! Thanks
again so much for your readership and support.
Paul
M. Carhart
Author, Chance for the Future & Hope for Tomorrow
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