The New Year (viewed with dread and glitter)

I'm a little late with the "Last Year In Writing" post, aren't I? Well, actually, this might be my first one.
Last year was..... Complicated. It wasn't all bad. I got to go to Gilchrist twice. That was great. My nephew graduated from High School without giving his mother or me a fatal heart attack.  That was fantastic. My Dad is still hanging on with us, and I'm grateful for that.
Also, we published Out Of the Green (available on bn.com and Amazon.com), and I'm fond of the stories in it. I had a great time writing mine. I wrote two other short stories that have yet to find a home. One's a post-apocalyptic lesbian djin story. Yeah, okay, that one might be hard to find a market for.... And the other... Well the other is an Asia story. I haven't decided what to do with that one yet.
I know I promised to have a book out by late fall last year, didn't I? Well, it's a little late too, (cover issues plus just plain too much life-intrusion) but don't forget about it! It's still coming.
The first two weeks of the new year, though, are for the novel I'm working on right now.  I'm working that subplot.
So, while life isn't perfect (I work in a hell hole, still, and home is really prickly at the moment), I'm working on it. I wish I could be the kind of writer that had big lovely announcements at year's end, but for me, this works for right now.

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Meet My Character Blog Tour

I've been asked to participate in the Meet My Character Blog Tour by my good friend Loren Rhoads. You can read about her character, from her new book, As Above, So Below here:lorenrhoads.com

As I think I've mentioned more than once, that book is awesome and you should read it. 

So I guess that leads me to my character. He is the main character of my new book that will be coming late in the fall. 

1. What is the name of your character? 

 Asia Heyes. Asia isn't his real name, it's Greg. Trace gave him the name when they first met, and Asia doesn't know why, but it's who he is because Trace said it was.

2. Is he/she fictional or a historic person?  

Fictional, but he's somebody we all either knew or were once.

3. When and where is the story set? 

It starts in LA in 1983, the year of glitter lip gloss and neon. The book begins in the Refugee Club, where Asia's band struggles to be seen, heard and noticed. They barely make it between paychecks trying to pay rent.  

4. What should we know about him/her? 

Asia is afraid. He has nearly crippling stage fright, yet he plays bass in The Black Light because Trace is there. Asia has known he is in love with Trace, and has been since they were kids, but he's afraid. To him, wanting to be in love with someone like Trace is like standing on the edge of a cliff. If Asia ever stepped off he knew the fall would kill him.

5. What messes up his/her life?
 Asia can't imagine his life apart from Trace.  Trace's ambition drags Asia along for the ride. Trace begins a relationship with Albrecht Christian, a wealthy, older man who is in the position to give Trace all he dreams of. Christian is threatening to Asia in ways that Trace's usual groupies are not. The devotion Christian has for Trace is serious, real, and it seems to be reciprocated. This shatters Asia, He feels as though something's been taken from him. Trace is in love with somebody else, so what could matter now?

6. What is the personal goal of the character?

 Asia doesn't know who he is at the beginning of the book. He only knows himself in relation to Trace, so he has no goals of his own. Slowly, as they separate, and Asia has to recalculate himself and what he wants. 

7. Is there a working title for this novel, and can we read more about it? 

The novel is called The Black Light. 

8. When can we expect the book to be published or when was it published?

It should be out late this fall.

LINK AND BIO OTHER AUTHORS I'm tagging for next week! 

1 KACEY VANDERKARR is a young adult author. She dabbles in fantasy, romance, and sci-fi, complete with faeries, alternate realities, and the occasional plasma gun. She’s known to be annoyingly optimistic and listen to music at the highest decibel. Kacey is president of the Flint Area Writers and the Social Media Director for Sucker Literary. When she’s not writing, she coaches winterguard and works as a sonographer. Kacey lives in Michigan, with her husband, son, and crazy cats. In addition to her novels, Antithesis and Reflection Pond, Kacey’s short fiction is featured in Sucker Literary Vol III and will appear in Out of the Green: Tales from Fairyland. kaceyvanderkarr.com

Holly Hook is the author of several young adult novels, including the Destroyer Series, about teens with special powers related to natural disasters. She also has a short story included in the forthcoming Out Of The Green: Tales from Fairyland. hollyannehook.wordpress.com

Nancy Tucker is a lifelong writer, and a retired professor of English. She write both poetry and prose in the form of short stories, and most recently a novel about growing up in the Vietnam era.She also has a story in  Out Of The Green: Tales from Fairyland. ntucker500.blogspot.com