Vicki Pettersson's Blog

Below is a modified and updated transcript of a keynote I gave back in ’15 at the Surrey International Writers Conference, and given my last post on burnout, I thought I’d post it here because it seemed to help people when I spoke of it then. I’m going to press send before I chicken out. Fair warning: this is a longform piece so you might want to have a seat.

I do hope it helps.

Vx.

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When Kathy told me she wanted me to keynote it felt really good. A milestone and a bucket list item—a keynote at the Surrey International Writers Conference, the greatest writer’s conference I know. So of course I said yes.

And then I hung up the phone.

And then I thought … that was a serious mistake.

Because, you see, I hadn’t yet arrived. I hadn’t made it. Ten books in print, double the years as a writer, and I was still thinking, just give me a little more time. I’m sure I’ll make it soon.

I also had a secret that I neglected to share with Kathy.

One year earlier? I had quit writing altogether.

This had occurred near the tail end of what was, to date, the worst period in my writing career (a worst period in which, ironically enough, amazing things had happened, my book, SWERVE, and those around it being the bright spot there) and when I spoke with Kathy my fingers were still very tender on the keyboard. I was only tentatively making my way back.

Now, to back up, I didn’t know I’d quit at first. I didn’t tell anyone I’d quit. I didn’t even know I’d quit. I’d show up at the page daily, just as I always had, and I would sit there. And I would stare. And I would not write.

For weeks my husband asked how the day’s work had gone and I’d tell him fine, slow, but beginnings always are. Then those weeks turned into months, the months turned into half a year, and finally I realized that I wasn’t only lying to him, I was lying to myself. For the first time since I was 26 years old, I was not a writer. I thought about writing everyday. I read voraciously and widely, which made me one hell of a reader … but I was no writer.

The warning signs had been there for some time. Most tellingly, I found myself regularly saying to my husband–often before I even knew I was thinking it–I hate this.

“How’s the work going?”

I’d look up. “I hate this.”

There is a Japanese author and researcher named Masaru Emoto who wrote a book called THE HIDDEN MESSAGES FROM WATER in which he purports that human consciousness can have an effect on the molecular structure of water. He’d perform experiments where he’d write a word on a label, then tape that label to a glass of water and, when frozen, the resultant crystals would either be very beautiful—such as when the word ‘love’ was placed on the glass–or they’d be utterly destroyed, as when the word ‘hate’ was imposed on the glass.

Now it sounds very woo-woo and out there, but as someone who believes very much in the power of words–who has indeed created her life for over a decade using only words–I was a believer. More importantly, I remembered that the human body is comprised of up to 60% water. The mind and the heart alone? 73%.

I hate this. I hate this. I hate this.

I hated this thing I’d once loved.

I hated this thing I was creating with my mind and with my heart.

I hated it with 73% of my being.

And of course I felt destroyed inside.

So how had this happened? After all, when I started writing, it drove me to distraction, to obsession. Getting to the page every day was everything to me. I dreamed of my name of the bestseller list. I thought success required only putting one foot in front of the other. And I said that I would give anything for that goal.

The truth was, I couldn’t say how it’d happened, and you can’t fix what you can’t name. (Again, the power of words.)

So instead I began to ask myself: Is it still worth it?

Because that’s the question you have to ask every day when you shut the door on all the people and places and events in your life (not to mention the status updates and likes) so that you can perform the deeper work of writing. No matter what level you’re working at, it’s a question that never changes. Is it worth it?

So, one day, when I was “writing” I began cleaning out my garage. And I stumbled across dozens of notebooks and binders and a whole box of floppy disks, and they were all brimming with words. Unpublished words. Dusty words, literally, as they’d been in boxes for over a decade. Among them, some of my original working journals:

07: I am truly amazed at how much I get done these days. Everything seems to build on what has come before. I’ve also realized that the grossly successful tend to get more done in the morning before most people ever get up. I’m not the only one getting up at 4 am. I finished another whole book, accomplishing new things in the process. I wasn’t freaking as much about rewrites, I just dug in and got them done faster and better, and it makes me want to see how fast/well I can do on this next. Today I’m going to highlight the textual events that really speak to me, that make me want to explore and write, and use those as my starting points/plot threads. I’ll mindmap/flow chart them, make new connections, and spend the day wallowing in all the possibilities …

What happened? What was it about my journey that forced me to forget that I once loved this work? Who was this girl who had so much confidence that she thought she could compare herself to the “grossly successful” and who wanted to wallow in words all day long? Because it was not me, not anymore.

At first I thought I was simply jaded. After a decade as a writer I knew exactly how the sausage was made. Publishing, rejection, competition, marketing—myriad issues that no writer has control over. Maybe it was a combination of all of those things.

Or maybe I’d begun identifying overly much with the images on my website’s homepage–speaking of myself in the third person, using words that were catchy soundbites but meant very little. “She writes ‘Women who thrill!” “She writes strong women who kick butt and …”

Blah, blah, blah.

Worse, maybe I only identified with those things if others said they were true. Only feeling ‘liked’ if I got enough Likes. Only feeling worthy of support if my sales team decided to support me.

The girl on those dusty pages wasn’t like that. She Liked herself. She supported herself, and she did it with nothing but the ephemeral foundation of her imagination. And what was very clear in holding those pages—all belonging to an unpublished writer who was so much more of a writer than I currently was–was that at some point in my storytelling career I’d lost my own narrative.

So I decided to do what my subconscious was already not-so-subtly doing as it shut down my brain every time I sat down to the page, and simply stop and ask: What am I doing? What am I saying? What is my narrative? And WHY?

And I decided that if I could no longer come up with a good WHY I would quit for good.

Now people love to talk about why they write. It’s great coffee shop conversation, it’s warm and fuzzy and invokes a dreamlike state: I write because I must, because it’s how I process the world, because it’s how I best communicate and connect. (Connection is my reason, by the way.) Yet there was nothing warm and fuzzy about what I was doing here. This was internal excavation, and the only tool I had was a very sharp critical eye and unblinking gaze. It was nothing I ever intended to share over a cup of coffee (never mind at Surrey; never mind here).

Yet back I went to rediscover myself through my own early words, even though I wasn’t certain that my reasons for getting into this gig would hold up all these years later. I shut out the voices of other writers and readers and agents and editors and publishers … and anyone really who didn’t physically sit in my living room on a nightly basis and I binged on my own words. (Lucky for me I am a writer and I keep fantastic notes.)

No, I still didn’t feel like the same person who wrote those words–I wasn’t the same person–but I recognized her in them, and in some cases I remember how it felt writing those words and in those moments it … Felt. Like. Home. So I kept digging. Finally, I came across this:

hi , I just wanted to thank you. Your writing has giving me the courage to finally take a stand. I actually ran away from home in Saudi Arabia and I am now in England. Then I’m coming to America , and I hope I get me dentistry degree. Your writing truly affects people in a great way, to make something from nothing out of their lives. Please keep inspiring other young people. :) [name redacted for privacy’s sake]

And I felt my mind and my heart–73% of myself, to be exact–light up inside of me.

Now you might be thinking, but Vic, these words came from outside of yourself—just like the readers who give one stars and the agents and the editors …and that’s true. But this was different. This was a voice that I wanted. Those other voices had to do with their reasons for identifying or not with my work. This, even though it came from someone on the other side of the world–someone I’d likely never meet–this was MY reason. This was Connection.

This young girl was out there making impossibly brave choices and doing amazing things and shaping her own life–literally authoring her own narrative–and she was awesome.

Which makes me awesome, too.

(See how I totally appropriated that? She is awesome, and therefore I am too.)

Connection.

I am awesome, and so are you.

Connection.

This girl whom I’d inspired was now, years later across space and time, inspiring me in return.

That is connection.

That is the power of the written word.

That is worth it.

So I decided the only thing that could get me out of this mess was what got me into it—words. But I needed to start using the right ones. “Hate” wasn’t going to cut it anymore. Instead, I decided that what had connected me to that girl in Saudi Arabia needed to become my new mantra: “I am awesome, and you are too.”

I am awesome, and you are, too.

(I’m repeating that now, in real time, just in case you need to hear it now.)

So I wrote another book, just for me, just for her, and I’ll start revisions on it soon. I’m also starting my next thriller. I’m not worried about the time away. I figure if you have something of value to say and share, and you know how to say it, your Tribe will be there when it’s ready. Connection.

I still dream big, and I’m again showing up daily with this new belief in mind … but it’s not perfect. My working journal is still a record of my daily failures, but it’s also an account of bravery because every recorded word is a shout in the face of those failures. Yes, I’m a NYT bestseller with ten books behind me, but that isn’t what makes me awesome … it’s that I’m here. Today. And so are you.

I am awesome, and so are you.

So while this is written for writers specifically, I would encourage you to ask yourself, often and sincerely–no matter what you’re dedicating your time and life to–what are you really doing? Why are you really here? What is so worth it to you that you’re giving your time and energy, and often money, to pursue?

What is so worth it to do anything in this life at all?

And if that’s still unclear right now, if you’ve never fully expressed it, and it’s still a touchy-feely rainy coffee shop day feeling, that’s okay. Soak up the awesomeness of those who support you. Believe them, for God’s sake, when they tell you you’re awesome (and drop anyone who doesn’t hard and fast). And finally, if you’re a writer, please trust that when you sit down to the page every day to do the work of your mind and your heart that whatever it is that makes writing so worth it to you, may connect with 73% of someone who needs to hear it most.

Burnout.

No writer likes to admit to it, and discussing it is akin to angering the gods. Yet lately I’ve been seeing more writer friends suffering from overwhelm/ depression/burnout than ever, and I hate it for them. And I recognize it because, well … where the hell do you think I’ve *been* for the past two years? (SWERVE in hardcover, and then paperback the next year, and then the foreign editions–what you were seeing was stardust, my friends. It was a book written long ago, and anything that happened in the past two years was fallout.)

I haven’t spoken publicly about my burnout (outside of one writer’s con) because at first it was to painful, and later–well, honestly, I didn’t want to be a writer anymore. I have too many other things that I want to do and be–things that I’m good at and people who love me–to let this work make me miserable. I’d rather opt-out. Quit fast and hard like I do all the bad shit in my life. Who cares about writing if you’re doing it at the expense of living?

I can go into the burnout in another post, but I want anyone who might be suffering silently to know that you’re not alone (and that you don’t have to participate in your own misery). I also wanted to share the below picture:

It’s a page from THE ART OF SLOW WRITING, which I’m reading and really enjoying. I am writing again, and I’m not just writing more slowly, I’m doing *everything* more slowly. I’m being *really* picky about what I allow into any given day. It must be additive in some way, to me (if I’m allowing it in) or for others (if I’m dishing it out).

I don’t really do resolutions, but one thing I’m clinging to fiercely at the beginning of this year is the culmination of what I’ve been working toward in *every* area of my life for these last two years: to do fewer things better with fewer, better things.

(Just roll that around for a minute, you’ll get it.)

And because I’m slowing down–doing less, but digging deep–I seem to be getting more of *all* the right things done. I’m certainly enjoying each a hell of a lot more … and for the first time in a long while that includes the writing.

And, boy, is it a doozy.

There are some appearances and conferences that are pretty cush on the writer’s side of things. You show up, you wave, you sign some books…hopefully get shooed back into your lonely writer’s cave before you start feeling too big for your britches.

However, as cush gigs go, the Surrey International Writer’s Conference held every October not one of them.

I don’t mean that we’re not treated well. Conversely, we are given respect, acknowledgement, and all the tools necessary to work to our highest level…but the key word in that sentence is work, and I’ve never worked so hard as I do when I attend this conference.

I also love every minute of it.

It is my humble opinion that SIWC is the best writer’s conference out there, but let me back up a moment for context. Some of you already know this but before I was published I was a part of an online writer’s forum for about eight years. This was in the very beginning of the dial-up age, and I had to use a service called Prodigy to access the forum. Despite the inconvenience of being screeched at by the phone line for a full minute before gaining online access, I persevered because for the first time I found a like-minded group of people who felt as I did about writing, and many of these people attended Surrey yearly.

I did finally make it to Surrey, though it was as a presenter after my first couple of books were published, and here’s why I love it so much—and why I think any aspiring writer out there should really give it a second glance:

–they are age inclusive; respectful of writers of every age from teen to senior. Everyone is there to learn.

–the focus is on craft, not gimmicks. So often online you’ll hear aspiring authors talking about how to game the system—get more likes, fiddle with metadata, ‘ten easy step to yada yada’—but the writers and agents and editors at Surrey know there’s no shortcut to writing well, and everyone is focused on doing their level best at all time.

–the conference is small and presenters are required to attend all meals and social events on the schedule. This is conference magic, y’all. It’s laid back, intimate, and low pressure. You get to rub shoulders with everyone. In the elevators, in the hallways, over drinks in the lounge…and the interactions I’ve seen between attendees and presenters are genuine connections.

–opportunity: you can pitch your story to agents, to editors, and you can have it critiqued in ‘blue pencil’ sessions, where the presenting authors go over your pages for immediate feedback.

–it’s in Canada. I like Canada.

There’s also a signing, cocktail parties—I think there was even a pajama party thrown in there a couple of years ago; I’d better check on that—and a trade show. In short, SIWC is what all writing conferences aspire to be, and the people running it are professional, kind, genuine, and lovers of the written word, down to the last.

You can go here to see the full schedule, but here’s my schedule for the weekend:

Friday, October 23:

10:00am – The Un-Put-Down-Able Book (Panel)

Members: Michael Slade (Moderator), Hallie Ephron, Anne Perry, Gigi Pandian, Vicki Pettersson

Want your readers to forget about dinner dates and housework because they’re unable to put your book down? Whatever your genre, the key is the same: tension. Join our panel of writers of page turners to learn the secrets of making your readers think “just one more chapter” over and over again.

2:15 – my blue pencil session (not sure if this is full yet or not, but I’ll be critiquing whomever shows up!)

8:00 pm – post banquet keynote

*

Saturday, October 24:

11:30am – Forays into Fantasy (panel)

Laurie McLean (Moderator), Sam Sykes, Vicki Pettersson, Mary Robinette Kowal, Danika Dinsmore

The world of fantasy is as varied as our imaginations, but even wildly different worlds come with the same concerns for writers. Join our panel of fantasy writers, led by agent Laurie McLean, and bring your questions.

2:15pm – Surviving Your Writing Career

Presenter: Vicki Pettersson

Seeing your work on bookstore shelves for the first time is an undeniable high, but a long-term writer’s career typically contains challenges and rewards in equal measure. In this workshop we’ll discuss overcoming the ups-and-downs on your way to becoming a career writer, how neither success nor failure is absolute, and how to face the ambiguous nature of the publishing business … while continuing to love what you do every step of the way.

Sunday

11:30am — Writer’s Toolbox

Presenter: Vicki Pettersson

No two writers’ paths unfold identically, but every published author finds a way to address goal-setting, time management, and the resolve to get to the writer’s chair daily. Join bestselling author Vicki Pettersson for tips, tricks, and hacks to help first-time authors beat the mind games that stand in the way of publication.  

*

So, for the record, that’s two panels, two workshops, a keynote, signing, blue pencil and all luncheons and dinners … see what I mean about work?

And every minute is a joy.

I think there are still a few registration spots open if you’re interested this year, and check out the full programming to keep in mind for next year’s conference as well.

For those who are attending … see you soon!

So my editor at Gallery just surprised me with the cover for the mass market edition of SWERVE*. I literally gasped when I saw it. If, for you, the hard cover didn’t fully express the full throttle, heart pounding, sweaty palmed read that this is intended to be, then here’s this:

Consider yourself warned. ;)

*Out 5.31.16 — mass market (premium edition). 

Hello, my friends!

It’s my great pleasure to finally announce the winners of the Audible giveaway for SWERVE. I have to confess, I used the Random Number Generator to choose winners because I cannot be (or at least feel) personally responsible for not choosing anyone. I wish I had enough to gift one to you all–those stories were absolute train wrecks! 

On that note, I have to say thank you for entertaining me with your words for the week. It was a refreshing change, and though I didn’t reply to each, I did read them and laugh/snarf/gasp/groan/cringe in sympathy. Except for those of you who said you sail along the roads. Then I just wished you more happy sailing. 

That said, here’s what the computer pulled up. I’m emailing each winner from my author email, but for a quick check, the names are below (as they were provided to me). 

Let’s see if these guys are ready to go on another harrowing trip with my girl, Kristine. You’re all seasoned travelers. You can handle it:

Linda Henderson, Kim Martin, Peggy R, Karen Hansen, Gail Siuba, Elise Skidmore, Penny, Stephanie, Anne, and Linda Kish. 

If you don’t hear from me anon that means I have the wrong email for you. If you don’t respond in the next week, I’ll draw another name and give your code away. Outside of that, enjoy!

I want to thank you all for taking the time to write to me, to relive some *koff* interesting moments, and to share them so publicly. Nice to know we’re not alone in such things, right? 

Audio lovers, SWERVE is now out and available via Audible! The narrator is Kate Rudd (who is fantastic!) and to celebrate I’m giving away ten audio copies of the book. All you have to do is leave me a message here, telling me about your worst road trip ever (okay, if you don’t have a worst, then tell me where you love to go or would like to go–that works, too!). That way it’s like we’re swapping “worst of” stories, right?

You have just over a week, until September 4th, to enter and that way I can get the audio book to you for the long Labor Day weekend. Sound good? (No pun intended!)

Remember, if you want to hear me, rather than Kate, talk about SWERVE, I did a quick and fun interview with CrimeFiction.FM about the book, writing in general, and what it takes to become a ten-year overnight success story.

Meanwhile, here are a couple of “inspiration” photos from one of the road trips I took in order to research SWERVE (What? You didn’t really thing I made all that up, did you?)

First up, the road trip:

For those of you now familiar with SWERVE, the above photos are of the Rock-a-Hoola waterpark, the entrance to said park, the rollercoaster and parking lot at Buffalo Bill’s and, finally, the rest stop that started the whole thing.

And this is all Lake Arrowhead. The lakeside home on which I based the Hawthorne family estate, the lake itself with the homes tucked away in the trees, a pool room cast in red that I stole from a real estate brochure (yes, the picture itself spawned an entire scene) and Fourth of July fireworks above the lake…if you look closely you can see the boats dotting the lake below. Good times, right?

Finally, just because I had such great time this summer (and because it’ll likely be a while before I get out on the road again) here are photos from my SWERVE tour:

That’s me reading from Taylor Stevens’s book at our joint signing. She said she couldn’t stand to hear her words read aloud, so of course that just made me torture her more. I’m a Big. Fan. The other two are of me signing and reading from SWERVE in Las Vegas. I love my hometown. It was a great turnout, and I made cookies that didn’t make even one person sick. A success all around!
The middle photo is of me with Kelly and Crystal … yes, that Crystal, for those of you familiar with SWERVE. I use people as well as places for inspiration too, yanno.

Good luck with the audio giveaway–I can’t wait to hear your stories!

So here we are. The long holiday weekend (at least in the States) that I’ve been dreaming of even before Gallery (cleverly) decided to release my book on the Tuesday after. See, if you didn’t already know, SWERVE is a Fourth of July book — with a story and subplot of Independence — and set in the 24-hour period that most North Americans are looking forward to this weekend. So if you read it when it comes out next week, you can compare how your holiday weekend passed with the way my protagonist, Kristine Rush, spent hers:

I’m gonna take a flier and say that yours is a good degree better all around.

For now, people have been saying some pretty nice things about SWERVE. Here are a few places where you can learn more about the inspiration for the setting and the story:

The Las Vegas Review-Journal: Take a Ride with Vicki Pettersson and Road Trips Will Never Be the Same.

Vegas Seven: New Thriller by Las Vegas Author ‘Swerves’ into Stores.

International Thriller Writers/The Big Thrill: A Conversation with Taylor Stevens (THE MASK) about strong female character, writing violence, and the switch to thrillers.

Taylor and Vicki talk thrillers and will sign together at Murder by the Book in Houston on July 14th.

LAS VEGAS SIGNING (7/7): don’t forget the release date signing in Las Vegas at the Rainbow Barnes and Noble, 7 pm. Please note: as is usual for a local signing, I will be hosting a meet-and-greet in the adjacent cafe at 5:30 pm to chit-chat with readers … and to try and redeem my reputation as a bad cook. I’ve gotten my fair share of ribbing on Facebook this year for my (admittedly) many cooking mishaps, so I’ve decided to kill that *myth!!!* by baking cooking for my readers. (Question is: who’s gonna go first? *evil grin*)

BOOKPLATES: For those readers who are ordering hard copies of SWERVE, and can’t make it to the Las Vegas or Houston signing, I’m happy to send a free bookplate to you if you send me your snail mail address at vickipetterssonbooks (at) gmail (dot) com. Be sure to include whatever inscription you’d like as well, if you’ve a preference.

And, finally, some early blog/online REVIEWS:

Houston Chronicle: Books to Pick Up this Summer.

My Bookish Ways: “Here’s why SWERVE is a must-read thriller.”

Literal Addiction: “Carefully planned, and brilliantly executed.”

BurySpy.com: “A book which benefits from being read in one greedy gulp although it is not one for the faint of heart or stomach.”

For the Love of Words. “I’ve read my fair share of “nail-biters” but very rarely has every. single. page. caused a permanent look of complete and utter panic on my face. I absolutely could not tear myself away from this one.”

Wicked Little Pixie: 5 Stars.

I hope to see and hear from many of you soon. Enjoy your holiday weekend (for those who celebrate) and let me know what you think about SWERVE!

Although SWERVE, isn’t out for another 3 weeks (7/7), here’s an early excerpt from the book, just to give you a taste. (Text continues below)

Also, this is the last week to enter to win one of 30 copies of SWERVE on Goodreads.

Finally, a reminder: if you’ve ordered a hard copy or are planning on it, remember to send me your snailmail addy at vickipetterssonbooks (at) gmail (dot) com and I’ll send you an inscribed bookplate, gratis.

Enjoy!

(…continued)

           It’s July 3, so the sun is a heat lamp with no off switch, the blacktop road a cast-iron griddle, and any living thing caught between the two is just meat set to singe on high. I tried to tell Daniel this. I know this swath of high desert as well as I know his profile. The Mojave’s cracked surface is as familiar to me as the dark mole tucked to the side of his right eyebrow—his only imperfection, and one I love.

            Unfortunately, a 4:00 p.m. sprint through the desert is the only way to both complete my twelve-hour shift at the hospital and to still reach his childhood estate at Lake Arrowhead before dinner. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres are to be served on the east patio, precisely at seven o’clock.

            I know, right?

            At least there’s still light to see by inside the rest stop’s stifling concrete shell. It’ll filter in through the open brick doorframe and allow for a mercifully quick change of clothes. I’ve made a mess of things in the car, though it could be worse.

            It will be worse.

*          *          *

Amazon

B&N

BAM

IndieBound

Kindle

iBookstore

Nook

My newsletter went out yesterday with all the latest on what’s happening with SWERVE, yet I’ve been informed that I wrote an incorrect email addy inside the newsletter. (Yes, I know my own email, shaddup!) So here’s the real one for those of you who’d like it: vickipetterssonbooks (at) gmail (dot) com.

The reason for this? I’m having bookplates made for those of you who can’t get out to one of my signings or convention appearances. So if you’d like one for the inside of your book, all you have to do is send me your snail mail address, along with whatever inscription you’d like, and I’ll send it along. No need for a SASE.

Also, my publisher is still giving away 30 early copies of SWERVE over on Goodreads. One click, and you’re entered. Let me know if you win, too — I’m happy to send you a bookplate as well.

Signings:

As usual, I”ll be signing in my hometown, Las Vegas at the Rainbow Barnes & Noble on release day, Tuesday July 7th, 7:00 pm. I’ll do the usual coffee-klatch/meet-up beforehand (where I meet and chat with readers–5:30 p.m. in the adjacent coffee shop). In the past I’ve brought cupcakes or cake from Showboy Bakeshop, because I love them and I love you, but this time I was thinking about baking you guys something myself. I feel the need to redeem myself after all my Facebook cooking fiascos. Adverse effects to eating my baked goods probably wouldn’t kick in until after the signing anyway, at which point you’ll have already bought the book … so what the hell do I care?*

Additionally, attendees to the Vegas signing will be able to meet the real life inspiration for my protagonist in SWERVE, Kristine. I wanted to write a thriller that was intensely female-driven and had to dig deep for the resources she needed to survive when her back was to the wall. This friend embodies that sort of strength, and she received an early copy of the book … so this is your chance to ask her if she still wants to be friends with me after reading it.

The second signing I’m intensely excited about is July 14th, 6:30 p.m. at Murder by the Book in Houston. This will be a joint signing with one of my favorite authors, Taylor Stevens. Taylor writes the Vanessa Michael Munroe series–her latest is THE MASK–and if you love strong women, this is a must-read series. (Aside: Murder by the Book is also the place where one unlucky reader mentioned a preference for my Zodiac series over Celestial Blues … while I was there signing a Celestial Blues novel. That reader now dies beautifully in SWERVE … so you should come to this one, too. I think it’s going to be cathartic for all. ;) )

So let me know on Facebook if you can attend either signing, especially Vegas so I know how many cookies to burn bake.

Less than a month to go now, guys — this thing is becoming Real!

*Fine. I care.

Good morning! I hope everyone had a happy weekend! I finally saw Fury Road, had an unexpectedly nice BBQ (ie., the weather cooperated) and spent a little time working and planning a blog post about the road trip I undertook to research SWERVE.

As you may know, it’s a chase book set on one road–the I-15 in the Mojave desert–in the middle of summer (the Fourth of July, to be exact). I traveled that stretch three times in July, mapping out Kristine Rush’s journey (my protag) and plotting the book. Here are some photos I took–I’ll post more and talk about them in the actually blog post–but for those of you who’ve received an early peek at SWERVE … these images should be self-explanatory. *evil grin*

Rest stop. The location, and the original building, was what inspired the opening scenes in SWERVE. They’ve since expanded it, but I still remembering the original sweltering desert hole.

The abandoned Rock-a-Hoola waterpark, situated between Baker and Barstow on the I-15. Cheery place, huh? Now imagine it at over 100 degrees F. Now imagine the wind whipping through its flats. Now imagine it at night. #swerve

The inspiration home for the Hawthorne Estate in Lake Arrowhead. #swerve

Pool table. I photographed this from a real estate office window on my research trip to Lake Arrowhead. I don’t know if it was the red cast to the photo that influenced its inclusion in SWERVE or if it was just my imagination. I prefer to think the former. #swerve

Fireworks over Lake Arrowhead on the Fourth of July. See all the tiny lights dotting the lake? Those are boats gathered around a dock centered in the lake. That’s where the fireworks are shot from. This view is via the grand hotel patio. #swerve

The Fourth of July is five weeks away.

So is SWERVE.

Are you ready to go for a little ride?

Vx.