And Then There Were Two...

  Witch on the Warpath is trickling out slowly. I desperately want it to fly off the shelves but reading up on sales advice it appears the best novels take their time, marinating like a fine piece of steak in the literary casserole of life. It is really only six weeks? It feels like six months since I published the first novel and already my mind is moving back and forth between the others I want to publish next.

Gristle's Revenge, the second book in the series is a possibility, however based on WOTW elements, it will require an extensive input from me to get it completed. There is no way I'm giving myself a publication date until it nears the printing stage this time. I'm planning to base it on the same format as WOTW and that means using an illustrator again for the characters. Sadly I can't find Onk and Harty in my world, seeing as how their dimension and ours remain out of sync for the time being. This could change, indeed anything might happen in subsequent books.
The novel will require finishing, then illustrations, cover, proof editing and formatting and well as numerous drafts before hand to get it into some semblance of order. I have realised that one proof edit is insufficient and even after three for WOTW, I still managed to find 8 errors. Good luck readers spotting them. Maybe I can make that a USP? Hunt the typos!

While I'm thinking GR should be my next offering, my adult Sci-Fi Aquasapien is calling. It's already written at 500 pages (127,000 words) I love the cover, which incidentally I did myself ( draft cover on 'novels' page) I'm dithering because it contains 'adult' material and though I don't want to be 'genre-cast',  I'm worried that folk will judge me by WOTW reading level and not want to read it. I've considered a pen name, but what's the point in publishing and then hiding? I've published my book to show people my writing, it seems hypocritical somehow to hide behind an invented nom de plume.

I'm thinking of going initials like JK, and becoming CM Salter for this one. The more I consider it the more I like the idea. I did think about using my grandmother's name Madeline Marnier, but she'd probably turn in her grave if she knew what the book was about. Not only that, I think male readers want male writers for this type of book and initials fit the bill nicely - thanks Jo.  It's a story about a mercenary soldier, who gets more than he bargained for when a life-form alters his DNA. The story follows him  as he continues on missions, with his team, around the world. Over time, and without his knowledge initially, the soldier evolves  and consequences ensue. Like WOTW I've already started the follow-up but it's a long way from completion, however also like WOTW I might use NanoWriMo to complete the first draft, just like last month.

I'd appreciate any comments on this one.