Maureen Bush

The Spirit Man

Progress Report on There’s a Witchdoctor in My Grandmother’s Bathroom:

The witchdoctor has been renamed the Spirit Man. We’re still debating titles. I sent Eric Orchard photos of the Spirit Man carving, and of the newspaper photo I clipped as my image of Jane, and he’s playing with ideas. The second round of editing is finished, so it’s off my desk for another week or so. It’s starting to feel like a real book.

Maureen

Character Murder

I’ve just finished the first round of editing for There’s A Witchdoctor In My Grandmother’s Bathroom (which will definitely be renamed).

My editor said “I think you should get rid of Miri.” (She’s a minor character in the story.) Since my first response was, “Who’s Miri?”, I decided I couldn’t argue with the idea. (Yeah, that was a bad moment. In my own defence, I hadn’t read the manuscript for a while).

So I cut her out. Deleted her. It was strange and sad and absurdly powerful. It was also easy, so I guess she really didn’t need to be there.

Another weird writing moment.

Maureen

My Stories Are Nagging Me

This morning I want to settle in and focus on three different projects. The kids at Lakeview and a brainstorming session with my younger daughter have inspired me to start on a sequel to Feather Brain. I want to get back to The Veil of Magic book III for another round of editing. And I received the first editing comments for Witchdoctor last week, so it’s time to launch into that.

It’s like having three little kids tugging at my pants wanting attention, and I have to choose one.

I know which it has to be – editing to a deadline comes first. But I’m really pumped to settle in for weeks of focused work on each one. I guess I’ll just have to be thankful I’m feeling inspired, pat my darlings on the head and tell them, “Later, dear one. Later.”

Maureen

Launch Dates, Award Nomination

It’s been an exciting week:

Coteau has set a launch date for the sequel to The Nexus Ring. Well, not a date exactly, but a season –  Spring 2010. At the moment we’re calling the story Crow Boy, but I’m not sure whether that’s going to stick.

Orca will be publishing Witchdoctor (title still to be determined) in the fall of 2010. Like Feather Brain, it will be an Orca Young Reader.

Feather Brain has been nominated for another award, the Rocky Mountain Book Award. That’s Alberta’s Readers’ Choice Award, with voting next May.

And the howweirdcanyouget.com contest is wrapping up – I’ll be announcing the winner on the weekend.

Now I just need to find some time to write.

Maureen

Polishing

The substantive edit to the sequel to The Nexus Ring is finished. Now it’s time for polishing, polishing, polishing. And for working on other stories. My mind is filling with images of witchdoctors and camels. Not together. Although that would be interesting . . .

I found another book I love: Outlaw Submarine, by Philip Roy. It’s been nominated for the Diamond Willow Award, and is a great adventure for elementary school kids.

Maureen