Q&A (and brownies) with J.J. Murray discussion

I'm about to break 100,000 words, so I thought I'd drop back into the real world for a spell.

I have a number of titles for this book, none of which Kensington will like:

ANYTHING FOR LOVE
EVERYTHING FOR LOVE
UNTIL I SAW YOU SMILE
UNTIL I SAW YOUR SMILE
THE HALF THAT MAKES ME WHOLE

Okay, they're getting too long to fit on the cover.

In Chapter 24 (of @ 35), Williamsburg (Brooklyn) has just survived a blizzard, and our couple (Angela and Matthew) has just finished an erotic game of Sorry!--and the laundry.

What else are you supposed to do during a blizzard?

Chapter 25 promises to be a busy chapter with interesting use of a coffee shop after hours, his cell phone blowing up because of his exes, and a phone call from his parents where he "introduces" her to them for the first time.

I'll write that one while my Jeep is getting its oil changed in the morning. That's right--I write everywhere. (I'm also taking a day off from teaching on a Wednesday! Shh. Don't tell.)

How y'all doin'? :~)

Things to do during a snow storm...hmmm... In reality they would be sleeping :D Watch TV, or something boring.

Maybe they play Charades or something.

I finished the first draft of Until I Saw You Smile (or The Love that Sets You Free) yesterday after running it through the most evil grammar checker known to the universe. PICKY!!! (But this is an essential step if you want to be published ...)

I'ma gonna let it percolate for a spell before I find, oh, six or seven consecutive hours to add some more "texture," those significant details that make the work richer and more complex.

You ask, "Why didn't you add texture as you wrote it?" I did, but I can always add more, especially in the area of setting and physical description. I have to put the reader in the Bronx, Bushwick, Williamsburg, Manhattan, Queens, the VA Hospital, a coffee shop, a courtroom, a theater, a couple restaurants, on a bunch of streets ... And there are more people in this novel than in any of my other novels. They deserve to be "seen" by the reader.

For those of who you who like to experiment with point of view: This novel is tight third throughout from Matthew's POV, so we only "hear" his thoughts. This is a departure from many of my books, but I feel confident you will enjoy his mind--as well as the rest of him. Tight third is usually most effective when writing short stories, so I amazed myself that I could extend it to 120,000+ words.

I posted part of my first review for I'll Be Your Everything from Publisher's Weekly on my website. To see it, please go here: J. J.'s Website

It only took 12 years for PW to notice my books. The entire review sounds noncommital at times but it ends well.

UNTIL I SAW YOUR SMILE is done, done, done. All I have to do is send it.

I got to go through the edit for THE PERFECT GIFT electronically for the first time. Kensington is finally into the 21st Century. It's kind of cool. My novel appears on the left, and the copy editor's marks and remarks appear on the right. I simply make corrections or OK her corrections and ... I don't have to send anything in the mail. It also seemed to take less time.

I think the POV would be cool, but you did do that one of your books, one chapter would be in her POV and the next would be in his POV. I think the whole idea of being in his head would be great.