Saturday, November 28, 2009

Updates on writing projects

There's a neat new compilation coming out called "Dogs Have 10 Lives" that I've got a story in. I'm not quite sure when it's being published, but I'll be sure to let everyone know when I do. I've also set out to self-publish The Summer of Pomba Gira with Xlibris and hope to have it done before the summer of 2010. I've finished the draft of The Vigil, and will be seeking out a publisher for that one once I'm done with revisions. In the meantime, I've started work on a sequel to The Summer of Pomba Gira, called Ogoun on Michigan Avenue. I've been inspired recently by the work of Hermann Hesse, and I think it will influence the manner in which the character development flows. I'm still waiting to see if a submission I made to Esquire for a contest wins or not. I'm hoping it would, because I think it would move these writing projects along quite nicely if it did.

People might want to know what I'm reading lately. I've been reading A Warriors Life, which is the biography of Paulo Coelho, one of my favorite authors. I'm jumping between Demian and The Fairy Tales, both by Hermann Hesse. I've begun to re-read some Robert Conley novels. He's another of my favorite authors. I just finished reading Push Not the River by James Conroyd Martin. That was a very good novel that I'd recommend.

I'd say in terms of influence on my writing, Hesse and Coelho would be current influences. However, in the past I'd say it was Louise Erdrich's novels that were a strong influence. The thing about writing is, you can't rely upon following the style of another, otherwise you lose the creative process.