My first published novel, "The Disappearance of Maggie Collins," came out on Oct. 31. Since then, I have been working on four new projects: two short stories and two novels.

When I pick up Maggie Collins, I like the writing, but it isn't a book I want to write again, or the type of book I want to do again. My new projects are more character oriented, more mainstream, even perhaps more literary.

When I conceived Maggie Collins, I was trying to write what publishers call "a big-launch book," something they could get behind, pay a big advance for, spend advertising dollars on, and hope to sell to the movies and make a ton of do-re-mi off of.

I was trying to have it both ways, both satisfy my own literary desires--write a meaningful book with some insight into human nature--and appeal to a wide audience.

I'm pretty happy with the book itself. Parts make me really happy.

But the wider audience thing, so far, hasn't happened. People praise the writing, but it has not sold like hotcakes. Or even warm cakes. Other writers have the same experience.

I still like to write about good people in danger, who have to go up against bad people who want to do them harm.

I can't control the marketplace. All I can do is write the stuff the best I can and try to get it into the right hands. Mostly, now, I write because it lights me up.

I hope it lights you up, too.

RA