Novelista

It has been almost a year since I last typed the sixth book of my fantasy series.  Before the last day of July, that is.  As I have mentioned in previous posts, I write my first drafts on pen and paper, then type it.  I started typing it again.  Getting to this point has been a struggle. Rewind to November of 2016.  Hope, The World In-between book 5, released.  I already began writing book 6 as soon as I penned the final word of 5.  That’s how I work.  I write and type simultaneously, even the same book.  The exact day my book released, my mom was admitted to the hospital. I would take my writing to the hospital.  Sometimes, I’d get pages done, but mostly nothing. After my mom’s death, I kept writing although not as much.  I lost the connection to my characters.  No amount of pen ramble would bring that back.  Writing another genre helped. I put my fantasy series aside.  I hoped that someday...

In March, I posted that I began working on a detective novel.   This is something that I have been working on everyday with the exception of the end of April when I got this terrible cold and watched four Marvel movies in one Sudafed-hazed day. Actually, I mentioned this book eons ago, but I pushed it aside to write my fantasy series.   The fantasy series… let’s just say it’s on hiatus.   Writing a completely non-magical story is helping.   Helping me untwine my mother’s death and my fantasy series that have wrapped themselves together in my mind. To further distance the fantasy and the mystery, I’ve decided to use a new pen name for the mystery. Irene Castle Irene is my first name and Castle is derived from Castellano, which means “castle man” in Italian. This new pen name has a Facebook account .   My very first (and only) Facebook account.   I post stuff about writing, funny things, cute things (mostly cats), and other stuff I’m do...

It's spring, or so the calendar tells me.  The weather hasn't made up its mind yet.  Such is life in Southwestern Pennsylvania. I'm sharing an excerpt of the detective story I've been intermittently writing with my fantasy series.  This story takes place in present day, has no portals to magical worlds, and is currently titleless. Here is an introduction of something different.  From the first page: Rain pattered Zia’s umbrella while the cold, spring air made her arm ache.  She thought nothing could be worse than Pittsburgh’s winter for her mending bicep.  Then, Pittsburgh’s spring came.  Tucking the umbrella’s rod between her neck and shoulder, she rubbed her upper arm.  Her pace increased as she peered at the six story red brick building—the only legally occupied building in one of the forgotten, dilapidated sections of the city.  She hurried inside, hoping its warmth would ease the pain. An original to the building, out of comm...

Had to upload this as a picture to share.  On display this month at the Mount Pleasant Public Library.

Book 6 of The World In-between fantasy series, currently titled Dreamweaver, nears its close.   Yes, I’m still working on the first draft.   This book proved difficult to write for me.   I’ll go into my trials in a later post.   At the time of this posting, the heroes approach the final battle.   Book 7 knocks on the door, whispering consequences of the happenings in Book 6. A blog redesign is in the planning stages.   I want something a little cleaner, so I’m slogging through scads of templates for one that speaks to me.   The finished product may take a while to emerge. Since Google Plus shutters April 2, I have migrated my social media home to MeWe .   I will not accept friend or chat requests from people I do know or with whom I have not interacted online.   My writing posts will be public. Here’s to a great 2019!

A Christmas themed flash fiction based on my characters from Where Pirates Go to Die.  On display at the Mount Pleasant Public Library. The Xmas Log By: IE Castellano My crew and I returned to the Tigerlily tonight without having to maim anyone. A Christmas miracle. The Christmas party slogged, especially since Dirk made us take anti-poison nanos that blocked me from getting an eggnog induced buzz. His caution is not unfounded, though. No one knows how this new Milky Way Consortium will act even with the different aliens represented alongside humans in the government. My idea of caution is armored formal wear that hides a few blades from the entrance scanners and bringing along our alien crew member. Gogi turned heads in her native regalia. Her feathers sparkled as if she rubbed in some of the pink quartz dust of her home planet. We were the epitome of what the Consortium tried to achieve with their “share Christmas with aliens” party: Humans and aliens work...

I gave myself a Thanksgiving deadline to finish writing the first draft of Book 6 of The World In-between series.  While I have made great strides on the book, it will be not be finished come Thursday.  Berty and company are on their way to the final major plot point in the story as I write this blog post.  The final plot point keeps getting more complicated the closer I get to it.  Hopefully, I ’ll have it all wrapped with a bow on top by Christmas. In the meantime, I’ll be joining other local authors at the Mount Pleasant Public Library during the Shop Local Saturday Cookie Tour again this year.  There will be books and cookies. During this special event, my books will be $5 and $10.  I take cash and all major cards. When:  Saturday, November 24, 2018  10 am to 2 pm Where:  Mount Pleasant Public Library 120 S Church St. Mount Pleasant, PA 15666 Parking:  Parking Lot beside library (metered) or on Church Street Th...