the ever present question

"How many more Logan novels are you going to write?"

I get that question a lot. From family, friends, and fans, everyone wants to know when the next book is coming out, if Logan and Teri are going to ever say I do, will Killian find true love, etc.

I love writing John Logan. Let's be very clear about that. I love the character, I love his friends. Teri and Killian are just as much a part of my life as Logan himself now. Even crusty Jake Ross has grown on me. I love Coral Bay. In my mind I've sat on Logan's houseboat and watched the sun sparkle over the Bay Bridge and the blue waters of the Bay a million times. For me, Coral Bay is a fascinating place and I've had several readers who say they'd love to live there.


But writing a series is tough work, especially if you want to keep things fresh. That is the trouble you run into when you write a series. The fact that Parker churned out so many Spenser novels or that Gardner wrote so many Perry Mason books astounds me. Some of the Spenser books were weaker than others and you could tell he was struggling to work things out or simply writing to fulfill a deadline or contract.

I don't want to do that with John Logan. I want to keep it fresh and exciting and throw in the typical mystery combined with action that you readers enjoy. I want to keep the houseboat conversations with Teri and Logan and have them talk about things and make love and keep an air of familiarity to it. After all most of us have routines or things in our lives that are familiar. Safe. Human beings are, by nature, creatures of habit and Logan and crew are no different.

But I want to keep the cases fresh and the mysteries intriguing and it can be a challenge at times. Right now there are two more novels in the can and so that gives me some time to come up with more fiendishly clever stories. But if I feel that a particular story is weak or needs more work, it won't see the light of day until I feel it is ready. You spend your hard earned money to buy them...I want to make it worth your while.

Thanks for your support. I really mean it.

R

Do the work

Hey everyone:

A quiet day at stately Nichols Manor. Taking it easy today but wanted to share a thought or two with you.

As many of you know, I'm a chess player. I didn't say I was any good at it, compared to many of the guys in my chess club, but that's beside the point. I love the game and I usually have an online correspondence game going all the time.

Recently, I noticed that my game progression seems to be stagnating. I'm beating players below a certain rating but not above it. My progress to get better has stagnated so I got some advice from my unofficial chess coach as well as a couple of other players whom I respect and it comes down to one thing:

More work. I have to up my game and put in the time to get to the next level.

What about you?

If you want to achieve, you have to sometimes up your game whether it be chess, or another sport.
Or writing.

Are you not seeing the progress on that story that you had envisioned? Are you mired down in one scene, one character, or one plot problem? You may have to put some more time and effort into it to start things rolling again. Maybe it's simply a matter of starting the darn thing...you have to actually sit down and hit those keys to put the words on the screen. Books don't write themselves.

I will allow you a sigh of acceptance, then no more slacking. Get up and get to work.

R