Hello all!
Can I just pause a moment and give thanks for warmer weather? I love winter, but right around mid-February I get a hankering for ice cream and shrimp. Not together—that would be truly awful. Yuk. Just the thought of it makes my stomach turn a bit…
But the first ice cream of the year is always the best. On one of the nicer days this week, Stacy and I set out into the woods in search of early forageables, (Editors and spelling heroes, I made that word up:) like morel mushrooms and ramps that might be peeking out of the soil. Afterwards, we couldn’t pass up the Dairy Ranch on our way home, where we promptly coaxed in spring with giant sprinkle-cones and turtle sundaes.
In other news, we just returned from the Homeschool Convention in Cincinnati last week, and had an outstanding response at our booth. My wife lovingly signed me up to be a speaker at one of the sessions, which I enthusiastically (No complaining whatsoever) agreed to do. After fighting back the butterflies, I stepped up to the podium and delivered my powerpoint about “Creative Literacy with Fantasy Books,” which went a lot better than I expected! The nerves disappeared, and I fell back into my former teaching role like I had never left the classroom. The strange part was, I actually enjoyed myself! Perhaps it was the audience too—I met nine-year-old Emma and her mom who joined the session, and let me tell you, Emma was brilliant! She bought The Watcher Key and is now reading it. So cool!
As far as a writing update, I haven’t jumped into book 3 of Demon Tide quite yet, partly because I have been so busy, but also because I’m having a bit of trouble deciding where to start it.
One of the questions I have is whether to skip forward several weeks or continue off where the last book ended. I hate to leave out some of the “exploration” that might occur as the characters embark on their next task, but it may create a couple of “boring” first few chapters to set up the story.
What do you think? Do you mind some story-building in the first few chapters of a book in the series? Or would you rather jump into the “action” right away and sum up any events to help lay out the story? Let me know, oh great story warriors!
Anyway, I’ve said far too much. You all are amazing!
Signing off,
Troy Hooker
PS. I am giving away one free signed book from the Descendants of Light Series if you are interested! Just drop a comment below to enter!
I am a jump into the action type of sorry reader. If a book doesn’t grab my attention in the first chapter (sometimes two) I put it down.
I like it when a book pretty much dives right into the action and gives a summary of the downtime, but if there are really important things that happen during that downtime then it might be important to include some of it.
I don’t mind some story building, as long as it’s interesting. if there’s nothing happening after a while you might lose me. (I’m currently struggling with the same sort of thing as I prep for book 2 haha.)
Also, now I want one of those sprinkle cones.