An unexpected problem

In this strange game called life there is always a but, don't you find?

I'm a happy chap, because the contracts for the new tvdetective books have been signed and all is going ahead swimmingly.  The kind publishers want three, spread out over the next two years, which is all very flattering but of course brings a little problem - 

Writing the things!

However, that's not so bad. As regular sufferers of these rants will know, I write as a hobby. The fact that people actually read, and even enjoy my scrbblings, is a delightful side effect.

The ideas for the next three books are in place, which I always think is a large part of the battle. The plans and structures for the stories are mostly done, just need a bit of refining, and some of the writing is there too, so all is on course.

Where the unexpected problem comes in, is here - it's in the titles of the new books.

Usually, I don't have a trouble with titles. They're one of the first things I feel about a book, and normally I have a strong instinct if they work well.  Maybe that's down to my journalistic background - the way we hack-creatures hunt for a headline to sum up a story.  It's a similar art to coming up with a title for a book.

But on this occasion, the titles are proving problematic. Not for the first of the books, I think I've got that taped (and no, I'm not telling you what it is yet - mystery and suspense is part of being a crime writer, and you know how I like to tease.)

Books two and three however, are proving slippery.  Try as I might, I can't quite find the titles to suit. 

Ah well, I console myself with the thought that I've got plenty of time, and something will come.  For now, I'd best just get on with writing the things. Which, if you'll excuse me, I shall duly do.

I'll keep you up to date with progress and publication developments etc. on the News and Events page - www.thetvdetective.com/news.html   But I can tell you that the provisional plan is for the first of the books to be released in the spring of next year.  Yeah!

Finally for this blog, another favourite tune.  I did get an email asking how many I intended to pick (it was largely complimentary about my choices, happily!), to which the answer is probably about a hundred.  That equates to around a year's worth of blogs, which feels right.

So today I'm going for Genesis, and Turn it on Again, because it (very approximately) fits with this blog, but mainly because I very much like the song.