Postcards #16

Cigar Box Saint Finished and to Publisher

I finished my book! I sent it to J. at Tiny Worlds Publishing and now I wait. It turned out differently than I originally thought it would, but that's not unusual. Stories, like characters, can change on me. I'm interested to see what he thinks. In Cigar Box Saint, Kane Milo is a young man finding out he's inherited some special skills. Good thing, because he's fallen in with a group of people being pursued by a vengeful spirit, and they have plans for him.

Earlier in this process I worked with Ian Barr, an author and editor, who is adept at creating fantastic books featuring ensemble casts. He helped me watch for various elements my characters were missing, pointing out ways to make them more dimensional. I've already noticed issues and changed parts of my new book due to what he taught me. If you are looking for some action-packed reads, you can find his books here: 

Ian Barr Books

I've never worked with an editor or publisher before, so it's been good for me to hand over my work to someone else, talk over the story I think I'm writing and get feedback. 

I've been reading through the first few chapters I have of Judderbones, the next book, and I'm ready to get back to work on it. I realize I just finished a book, but I don't want to lose momentum. And I have other ideas waiting in the wings.

This one is a creature feature with a pulp fiction feel. It takes place in a railyard in a tiny town, where the bodies are stacking up and people are starting to suspect one another. If only the killer were human. Like a 70s scary movie, it could be a lot of fun.

Lastly, I'm going to be doing some more this winter with my Substack, Poison Ivy House.  Chicken Story Time broke 100 subscribers last month! I've not been writing there, but I like that I could come up with something people enjoy. A lot more people watch than subscribe. The next post won't happen until I'm moving the chickens down here. That should be exciting and fun.

One new thing: I moved my merch to Fourthwall and you can check it out here if you're curious: poisonivyhouse.store I designed some Chicken Story Time and The Idlebelle Stories items for fun. Will be adding more as time passes.  

I made my first post on Rustic Revel, my other Substack newsletter. I wrote a flash fiction piece for an anthology to be sold to raise money for Broad Ripple, an artist community in Indianapolis, Indiana, recently impacted by historic flooding. You can read it there. And follow the links for more info. And even subscribe, if you want. I have big plans all around for Winter when I'm stuck inside. 

Now to get through this move so we can make more fun! 

Until next time,

Lyndsey