Tag: NaNoWriMo

First Dig Two Graves – the editor’s final draft – Day 1

This book has been sitting in the ‘to-be-done’ tray, so this month it is going to get the final revision.

…

At the end of the first book in the series, Alistair, Zoe the assassin’s handler, was killed.

As far as he was concerned, Zoe had reneged on the contract to kill a target, and for that, she had to be punished, just to let the rest of the team know they could not decide arbitrarily who or who they would not kill.

For her sins, Zoe had been captured and was about to be executed when John, the man who wanted to become her boyfriend, turned up on a luckless and unplanned rescue mission.

But as ad-hoc operations go, that one was very successful.  Zoe, though badly injured aided John in a do-or-die escape.

Alistair learned to his chagrin, that a badly injured Zoe and untrained well-meaning friend trumped overconfidence.

Of course, Alistair’s death does not go unnoticed, and his mother, a renowned and very capable ex-KGB agent with connections, wanted to avenge his death.  Her influence reaches as far as the upper echelons of the State’s intelligence services, and requests from her would never be ignored.

Such a request for information is made, and so starts the next book in the series.

Revenge.

Of course, nothing to do with Zoe or John, or their relationship, runs smoothly, and once again in pursuit of the impossible, makes it his mission in life to win over the assassin-on-sabbatical.

But first, he has to find her., and sort through the lies and treachery of his best friend who is also looking for Zoe, but for entirely different reasons.

First Dig Two Graves – the editor’s final draft – Day 1

This book has been sitting in the ‘to-be-done’ tray, so this month it is going to get the final revision.

…

At the end of the first book in the series, Alistair, Zoe the assassin’s handler, was killed.

As far as he was concerned, Zoe had reneged on the contract to kill a target, and for that, she had to be punished, just to let the rest of the team know they could not decide arbitrarily who or who they would not kill.

For her sins, Zoe had been captured and was about to be executed when John, the man who wanted to become her boyfriend, turned up on a luckless and unplanned rescue mission.

But as ad-hoc operations go, that one was very successful.  Zoe, though badly injured aided John in a do-or-die escape.

Alistair learned to his chagrin, that a badly injured Zoe and untrained well-meaning friend trumped overconfidence.

Of course, Alistair’s death does not go unnoticed, and his mother, a renowned and very capable ex-KGB agent with connections, wanted to avenge his death.  Her influence reaches as far as the upper echelons of the State’s intelligence services, and requests from her would never be ignored.

Such a request for information is made, and so starts the next book in the series.

Revenge.

Of course, nothing to do with Zoe or John, or their relationship, runs smoothly, and once again in pursuit of the impossible, makes it his mission in life to win over the assassin-on-sabbatical.

But first, he has to find her., and sort through the lies and treachery of his best friend who is also looking for Zoe, but for entirely different reasons.

“Opposites Attract” – The Editor’s first draft  – Day 30

This book was the effort put into the last NaNoWriMo November 2023 exercise. I have now picked it back up, and working on a more polished first draft for the Editor.

…

The end or is it the beginning.

…

It’s always fun to get to the end of the story.

This one, at times almost wrote itself because the elements were such a joy to write.

It started in a dance, two people who knew deep down they were in love with each other, they just either didn’t want to acknowledge it or didn’t think it was possible the other would ever see it.

How many of us sometimes look wistfully at the one we love and know it will never happen?

I’ve been there, and I know that feeling.

And then, when it is recognised, in a mad moment of realisation, you go from not having it to having it and not wanting to mess it up or wanting it to end.

Love is one of those emotions that is very hard to understand, or control, or manage, and as it is often said, the heart does what it wants to do and you sometimes have to go along for the ride.

And sometimes put yourself out there and be damned to the consequences.

It’s going to hurt, one way or another, and we can only hope it’s a good hurt and not a bad one.

But will it help to go from relatively poor to very, very rich?

That of course is another story.

…

“Opposites Attract” – The Editor’s first draft  – Day 30

This book was the effort put into the last NaNoWriMo November 2023 exercise. I have now picked it back up, and working on a more polished first draft for the Editor.

…

The end or is it the beginning.

…

It’s always fun to get to the end of the story.

This one, at times almost wrote itself because the elements were such a joy to write.

It started in a dance, two people who knew deep down they were in love with each other, they just either didn’t want to acknowledge it or didn’t think it was possible the other would ever see it.

How many of us sometimes look wistfully at the one we love and know it will never happen?

I’ve been there, and I know that feeling.

And then, when it is recognised, in a mad moment of realisation, you go from not having it to having it and not wanting to mess it up or wanting it to end.

Love is one of those emotions that is very hard to understand, or control, or manage, and as it is often said, the heart does what it wants to do and you sometimes have to go along for the ride.

And sometimes put yourself out there and be damned to the consequences.

It’s going to hurt, one way or another, and we can only hope it’s a good hurt and not a bad one.

But will it help to go from relatively poor to very, very rich?

That of course is another story.

…

“Opposites Attract” – The Editor’s first draft – Day 29

This book was the effort put into the last NaNoWriMo November 2023 exercise. I have now picked it back up, and working on a more polished first draft for the Editor.

…

Home again, home again…

…

After rescuing Tim and not fulfilling the mission, which might seem to become a running theme in the relationship between the grandmother and our boy, they arrive home, hitch a ride to New York in the corporate jet, and then dispatch it to Switzerland where Annie is booked into a clinic.

Good deed for the day done.

And in a last-minute move he didn’t see coming sister Darcy, best friends with everyone, has gone with Annie to be someone familiar.  Tim of course goes with her.  A ride to Europe in a private jet, and the prospect of a holiday was worth sacrificing being at the wedding.

Well, the first wedding.

But the bad news is, while our boy was away having fun in helicopters the grandmother’s condition deteriorated as anyone with stage four cancer knows.  One minute you’re reasonably OK the next, at death’s door.

Fresh off the plane, there’s just enough time to change and get to the ceremony.

There is no time to reflect on the merits of what is essentially a shotgun wedding, it’s done.

Of course, there’s a little sidebar in doing it, one that may play out in a sequel.

…

“Opposites Attract” – The Editor’s first draft – Day 29

This book was the effort put into the last NaNoWriMo November 2023 exercise. I have now picked it back up, and working on a more polished first draft for the Editor.

…

Home again, home again…

…

After rescuing Tim and not fulfilling the mission, which might seem to become a running theme in the relationship between the grandmother and our boy, they arrive home, hitch a ride to New York in the corporate jet, and then dispatch it to Switzerland where Annie is booked into a clinic.

Good deed for the day done.

And in a last-minute move he didn’t see coming sister Darcy, best friends with everyone, has gone with Annie to be someone familiar.  Tim of course goes with her.  A ride to Europe in a private jet, and the prospect of a holiday was worth sacrificing being at the wedding.

Well, the first wedding.

But the bad news is, while our boy was away having fun in helicopters the grandmother’s condition deteriorated as anyone with stage four cancer knows.  One minute you’re reasonably OK the next, at death’s door.

Fresh off the plane, there’s just enough time to change and get to the ceremony.

There is no time to reflect on the merits of what is essentially a shotgun wedding, it’s done.

Of course, there’s a little sidebar in doing it, one that may play out in a sequel.

…

“Opposites Attract” – The Editor’s first draft – Day 28

This book was the effort put into the last NaNoWriMo November 2023 exercise. I have now picked it back up, and working on a more polished first draft for the Editor.

…

All’s well…

…

Maybe.

Shotguns are in abundance, Tim has one, and it’s a standoff until he sees Annie.

I guess when I was writing this it was a little moving, and not for the first time when writing something that is emotionally difficult, a tear or two happens.

It’s the same when I watch really emotional movies, though I never used to be like that.

To be honest, I don’t know what it would be like to be confronted with a very ill loved one.  I think there would be stunned silence, then the start of the realisation of what it means, followed by all sorts of thoughts.

Not what it would be like if there was nothing I could do.

It has happened to a lot of people around me.  My sister-in-law lost a daughter, taken by cancer.  They had been hoping she had beaten it, but it came back.

My wife’s best friend’s daughter has finally discovered why she was having stomach pains, yes, cancer again, stage 3 and there is hope.

But the emotional roller coaster is not one any of us want to get on.

At least in this story, I can give hope.

…

“Opposites Attract” – The Editor’s first draft – Day 28

This book was the effort put into the last NaNoWriMo November 2023 exercise. I have now picked it back up, and working on a more polished first draft for the Editor.

…

All’s well…

…

Maybe.

Shotguns are in abundance, Tim has one, and it’s a standoff until he sees Annie.

I guess when I was writing this it was a little moving, and not for the first time when writing something that is emotionally difficult, a tear or two happens.

It’s the same when I watch really emotional movies, though I never used to be like that.

To be honest, I don’t know what it would be like to be confronted with a very ill loved one.  I think there would be stunned silence, then the start of the realisation of what it means, followed by all sorts of thoughts.

Not what it would be like if there was nothing I could do.

It has happened to a lot of people around me.  My sister-in-law lost a daughter, taken by cancer.  They had been hoping she had beaten it, but it came back.

My wife’s best friend’s daughter has finally discovered why she was having stomach pains, yes, cancer again, stage 3 and there is hope.

But the emotional roller coaster is not one any of us want to get on.

At least in this story, I can give hope.

…

“Opposites Attract” – The Editor’s first draft – Day 27

This book was the effort put into the last NaNoWriMo November 2023 exercise. I have now picked it back up, and working on a more polished first draft for the Editor.

…

Helicopters and compromise

…

I have been in a helicopter once or twice and they literally take my breath away.

My wife thought it would make an amazing present, and it was coupled with a jet boat ride that was heart-pounding, and some other experience that I can’t remember at this point.

It was the helicopter ride that stuck with me, skimming the grass tops as we left the airport, heading for a mountain top known as the Remarkables.  We went up the side and then peeled away, almost sideways, and

Wow!

There was more.  It was meant to be a ten-minute ride, but it ended up being nearly half an hour when we got a call to pick up someone beside a river.

That was only a small helicopter.

The one in the story is bigger, the trip longer, over the forests to a small clearing that is only accessible by air.

Tim is basically hiding there, from everything.

Taking his very ill girlfriend there, the girl he couldn’t help because he burnt every bridge, was always going to be problematical.

Our boy didn’t ask her to go, but he was glad she did.

…

“Opposites Attract” – The Editor’s first draft – Day 27

This book was the effort put into the last NaNoWriMo November 2023 exercise. I have now picked it back up, and working on a more polished first draft for the Editor.

…

Helicopters and compromise

…

I have been in a helicopter once or twice and they literally take my breath away.

My wife thought it would make an amazing present, and it was coupled with a jet boat ride that was heart-pounding, and some other experience that I can’t remember at this point.

It was the helicopter ride that stuck with me, skimming the grass tops as we left the airport, heading for a mountain top known as the Remarkables.  We went up the side and then peeled away, almost sideways, and

Wow!

There was more.  It was meant to be a ten-minute ride, but it ended up being nearly half an hour when we got a call to pick up someone beside a river.

That was only a small helicopter.

The one in the story is bigger, the trip longer, over the forests to a small clearing that is only accessible by air.

Tim is basically hiding there, from everything.

Taking his very ill girlfriend there, the girl he couldn’t help because he burnt every bridge, was always going to be problematical.

Our boy didn’t ask her to go, but he was glad she did.

…