The End of the Januaries

I confess. I am one of those people who hate January. So today, its very last day, I am celebrating. I survived January and all I got was this damn cold. In reality January in Montana in 2011 was pretty mild. It started out fairly normal, days in the teens and 20s and lows overnight around zero. But then it got warm. And despite myself and my fears about global warming, I rejoiced. Highs in the 40s? Mark me down as “Like”! Now it’s cold again, we’re finally getting that arctic blast we get every year, but we’ve made it all the way to February so no worries. Spring is just around the corner.

My novel continues apace. Second winter now and not quite done. I’ve got over 80,000 words though and am closing in on the end. The end of a novel is important. The beginning is somewhat freer, when you can throw all sorts of plots and subplots at the characters and you don’t have to completely make sense. But at this stage reason is important. The various threads must be tied up. The major plot must rock. And its ramifications must vibrate through everything.

This book could be a series. I feel it. I’ve written mostly stand-alones the last few years. But this one has a great young policewoman who could be a series character. I like her. So that figures in how I end the book as well. I need to pull out all the stops on the ending but also leave a few things for future books. I’m hoping to be done before Left Coast Crime in Santa Fe at the end of March so I better get cracking.

Janus is the god of past and future, forward and backward, the two faces. I choose forward. The publishing biz being what it is that may be crazy. But I have a choice and I choose the future. What will it be? I can’t wait. What does yours hold?