Welcome to spring! Is it just me, or do you feel quite motivated and energetic to get stuff done as soon as spring comes around? I certainly do. While my other half was away at a conference (not far, the hotel was just three miles from where we live!) I took to doing lots of productive stuff.

On Sunday I went for a five-mile coastal run from Pendennis Point in Falmouth, along Gyllingvase Beach to Swanpool Beach, around Swanpool and back again. That felt pretty productive and virtuous. It’s quite a while since I’ve run this sort of distance and I did it in a time I felt was pretty good for me considering I’ve struggled with motivation the last few months. I also worked on two separate fiction projects.

A Salmonweird Sleighing

I know, I know. The first one is not even published yet and I’m already planning the sequel. It goes to show how positive I feel about the project. This Christmas-themed murder mystery will be a direct follow-up to the work I presently have in the system for review at Unbound. So far, nothing is written but I do have chapter 1 figured out in my head which I was able to put into my notebook on Saturday. I spent two hours at the beach making notes for chapter 1. I don’t know when I will write the actual chapter, but I have a full plan. It’s just a case of putting it into words. I am in no rush, I just didn’t want to forget any of the ideas I formulated.

Dead Lock

No further content is written for this, but I did make some brief notes here too. I went back through Dead Heat for clues to the personalities that I can play around with for this companion story. I think you might find a few surprises when I come to publish this on Kindle. Expect to see a release date of this year. Now I have tinkered with Children of Phobetor (see below) and formulated chapter 1 of Salmonweird Sleighing, I expect it to be full steam ahead with my zombies.

What can I tell you so far about Dead Lock? What are the key differences?

• In Dead Heat, the three main characters were colleagues all working in supervisory positions for the same export company. In Dead Lock, they are prisoners and don’t know each other
• Dead Heat was set on a warm spring day. Dead Lock is set on a bitterly cold snowy New Year’s Day
• Dead Heat was a corporate team building day. Dead Lock is a race for survival where the prisoners who make it off the island are granted parole. Those who don’t die become one of the undead
• In Dead Heat, Kate is an actress – part of hired help to play a zombie during the novelty race. She has a blossoming romance with Jim. In Dead Lock, Kate has been in a relationship with Jim since before his incarceration. She is also a prisoner released from the women’s prison across the island
• Dead Heat is primarily a horror comedy. Although Dead Lock will have amusing moments, it will be largely a blood-splattering edge-of-the-seat zombie thriller (I hope)

Children of Phobetor
(Formerly Known as Romans vs Aliens)

I’ve been hankering to work on this for the last few months. As it’s been so long since I touched it, I decided to give what I’ve already written (about 28,000 words) a thorough edit. Not a lot of headway made in terms of new material but I am happy with how I planned the story out. I’m particularly pleased with this despite the sci-fi premise suggesting a plot-driven story, it is very character heavy. I didn’t initially intend that to be the case, but it has played into the story quite nicely.

What about you, are you feeling the urge to write now spring is here?