Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire

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Current projects, October 2009.

As it is now the fifteenth of October, it is once again time for me to make my monthly current projects post. Some people measure out their lives with coffee spoons; I seem to have taken a slightly more masochistic approach. This post and its kin, by the by, are the reason that I burst into tears and flail around like a squid on an electrified floor every time someone asks me "What are you working on?" The answer just takes too long to actually deliver. Anyway, this is the October list of current projects, because I am the gift that keeps on giving.

To quote myself, being too harried to say something new: "These posts are labeled with the month and year, in case somebody eventually gets the crazy urge to timeline my work cycles (it'll probably be me). Behold the proof that I don't actually sleep; I just whimper and keep writing."

Please note that the first four Toby books are off this list, because they have been finished and turned in. You can purchase Rosemary and Rue [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] now. You can pre-order A Local Habitation [Amazon]|[Mysterious Galaxy] now. An Artificial Night and Late Eclipses are off the list until The Editor tells me otherwise.

The first Newsflesh book, Feed (formerly Newsflesh), is off the list because it has been turned in to The Other Editor, and I won't see it again until the page proofs. Ah, progress. It smells like fear and uncontrollable twitching.

The cut-tag is here to stay, because no matter what I do, it seems like this list just keeps on getting longer. But that's okay, because at least it means I'm never actively bored. I have horror movies and terrible things from the swamp to keep me company.

***

The Brightest Fell.
October Daye, book five. Urban fantasy/fairy tale noir, modern setting, first-person protagonist. Status: Having realized that I had one subplot more than was actually needed, I am in the process of ripping this book apart and stapling it back together. This means I'm hemorrhaging word count, but I'm making up for it by gaining clarity, coherence, and awesomeness. I am increasingly fond of this book.

Discount Armageddon.
InCryptid, book one. Urban horror/modern dark fantasy, first-person protagonist, start of a multi-narrator series (generational). First narrator is Verity "Very" Price, first setting is Manhattan. Status: I'm roughly halfway through the first draft, assuming my length estimates are correct, and the book is currently just shy of two hundred pages. I have some great action sequences coming up, and I'm happy.

Deadline.
Formerly The Mourning Edition. Modern political/zombie horror, near-future setting, first-person protagonist. The second book in the Newsflesh Trilogy, and the direct sequel to Feed. Alive or dead, the truth won't rest. Rise up while you can. Status: I've finished Book Two (the Newsflesh books are novels divided into internal Books), and I am now comfortably into Book Three, psychotic breaks and CDC strongholds and all. I've managed to find excuses to consult with scientists in no less than three different fields other than virology. Life is good.

Ashes of Honor.
October Daye, book six. Urban fantasy/fairy tale noir, modern setting, first-person protagonist. Status: outlines done, summary done, prepping the last of my foundation work before starting. Toby is not gonna be happy with me.

Sit, Stay, I Hate You.
Coyote Girls, book two. Young adult horror/paranormal romance, modern setting, first-person protagonist. Having survived the events of Lycanthropy and Other Personal Issues, Clady would really like it if her life would settle down and get, y'know, easy for a little while. Clady is not going to be terribly happy with me, either. Status: about halfway through chapter one, semi-stalled while I work on other things.

Deathless.
Dead Girl Diaries, book one. Modern urban fantasy/supernatural romance, first-person protagonist, two books per narrator. (First two are Deathless and Breathless, for Patience.) Status: poking in that vague and chipper "I'll be writing you soon" fashion.

The Nativity of Chance.
High modern fantasy ranging across the country, through the wonderful lands of Oz, and through a lot of explosions. Pythagorean philosophy meets the works of L. Frank Baum, alchemy meets modern technology, and a pair of cuckoos meet their destiny. Status: researching.

Chasing St. Margaret.
Chick-lit romance/travelogue, modern setting, first-person protagonist, diary-style. Think Bridget Jones' Diary meets Lost In Translation meets A Twelfth Night. Actually, quite literally, on the last. My dear, sweet, utterly bewildered Margery. Status: finished, pending revisions and rewrites. I think this may be my airplane book for the next few months.

Pretty Poison Apples.
The sequel to Nativity of Chance, and that seasonal monarchs book I've been threatening to write forever. Stop looking at me like that. Status: researching.

There are lots of other books floating around here—some finished and slated to be worked on further, others pending getting started—but these are the ones you're likely to hear the most about, at least currently. I'll update this list from time to time, as things move from "project" to "print" and new things take their places on the workshop floor.
Tags: ashes of honor, chasing st. margaret, current projects, deadline, deathless, discount armageddon, editing, incryptid, nativity of chance, one salt sea, pretty poison apples, sit stay i hate you, toby daye
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  • 10 comments
OK there is Seanan and the Broccoli clones, and sweet gentle Mira, are you going to split off any other personalities to deal with Romance and Young Adult?

Just asking because I would be very peeved to miss any of your alter egos works, because they were skulking around in disguise
Right now, there are no plans to split off additional pseudonyms, at least in part because we're not currently actively shopping the YA or romances. If this changes, it'll be announced, even if it's an "under-the-table" sort of "psst, look over here..."
It's only a matter of time before you begin living The Dark Half.
...see, I'm cool with that, really.
Just as a confirmation, then: Lycanthropy and Other Personal Issues (aka Coyote Girls #1) is presumably off the "being worked on" list due to being As Finished As It Gets for the moment...and also for being with The Agent, despite not being actively shopped just now. Right?

[signed, charter member of Completists R Us]
That is correct. There will sometimes be projects that don't appear on this list anywhere. That's because they are in a state of stasis, whether that be "in a drawer gathering dust" or "with the Agent, but not being shopped." Note that the Corey books are similarly missing.
Wow, that's a full plate. in fact, that's a plate that's had sideboards attached. Impressive
I like to keep busy!
What's an airplane book, in this context?
A book I work on while I'm on the airplane.