Whenever you ask an author, what is your writing process you get widely different answers. I remember reading once that Margaret Mitchell wrote the last chapter of Gone with the Wind first. I’d also read that Agatha Christie would first figure out who committed the crime in her novel, how they did it, and then weave everything else around that core. The short answer is that for a writer their process is whatever works for them and may well change from project to project.

In my case, sometimes I will have a novel well-plotted out, and sometimes I’ll start from page one having no idea where it is going. In the case of An Uneasy Traveler, which I have since renamed A Quiet Moment, I wrote the first paragraph of the book about two years before I actually started writing the novel. I have a pretty large collection of extraneous pieces that I may have started or dabbled with and then abandoned, only to pick up at a later date and complete. By the way, for anyone who is interested, A Quiet Moment has been posted in its entirety on this website. I did that during the early days of the pandemic as a diversion for those who might need it.

So recently, when I first discovered this new project of Amazon’s called Kindle Vella, I thought about some of those pieces, some which I’d actually written a substantial amount on, but sadly still remained incomplete. I wondered if this episodic format would be a way to flesh some of these out. So, I gave it a try and am happy to announce that I am closing in on the completion of The Lady in the Blue Dress. For me, it’s a somewhat grander tale than I ordinarily write, spanning across several generations of a family embroiled in a paranormal lineage that they really have no knowledge about. I combine fascination of the paranormal with my love of Pre-Raphaelite art – a good combo for me.

Any brave soul willing to dive into the world of Kindle Vella can access it through Amazon looking up Kindle Vella or actually on their Kindle Device. I’ve just posted my 17th episode, but the first three episodes are free to read. So, you can give the process a try before you pay for any coins, which cost about $1.99 for 200. My episodes which average about 2000 words are averaging a cost between 20 to 25 coins a piece.

I do hope you drop by and read at least the first three episodes, and hopefully join me as we head to a potentially intriguing and unexpected conclusion for The Lady in the Blue Dress.

Thanks, and Take Care

Mika Devalieur desperately wants to deny her beloved grandmother’s last wish, but she can’t. Reluctantly, she travels from New Orleans to rural Virginia to deliver a priceless Pre-Raphaelite painting into the hands of James Clairmont, someone she’s never laid eyes on before. But something isn’t right, and James Clairmont knows much more about her family and the painting than he is letting on. There are so many secrets about him, about her, and most especially, The Lady in the Blue Dress.