Recovering From A Crazy November

Hello, dear Gary Celdom followers,

My apologies for being silent over the past few weeks. Things have been crazy here in my life, but not without good reason. As most of those who know me are aware of, I am an annual participant in National Novel Writing Month; a writing challenge that requests those who take part to pen a 50,000-word novel within 30 days. It is this challenge that lead to my first self-published novel, Scarlet Siege, and also provided the framework for my second novel, Barbadian Backlash; both of which are now available for sale at fine online retailers like Amazon.com, kobobooks.com, and other retailers affiliated through the Smashwords Network (i.e. Barnes&Noble.com).

In this year's edition of the month-long write-a-thon, I composed the first draft of what I hope to be the next adventure in the Gary Celdom Case Journals series; tentatively entitled, Rouge Numbered Week. In it, the trio of Gary, Jessica, and Karen are on the trail of a mass-murder causing a reign of terror during the festivities for the Canadian football Championship being held in Toronto. Gary's writing compatriot, Doug Bennett, also makes a notable appearance, but I won't spoil how he is involved in the story. You'll have to wait until the book is released sometime in 2013 to find out what happens. Stay tuned to GaryCeldom.com for updates.

One thing I love about participating in "NaNoWriMo" is the opportunity to meet fellow aspiring novelists; some of which have gone on to publish their own works. One of which is fellow Toronto-area participant, Allison Cosgrove. A few years back, she wrote her own detective novel, Sacrifice of Innocence. In it, her main character, Detective Stan Brookshire, is on the trail of a cult that has been conducting ritualistic murders of children. However, his troubled past is hindering his involvement in the investigation. It is a tale of mystery, and suspense that will leave you on the edge of your seat. Can Detective Brookshire stop the cult, and clear his name before it's too late? The second edition of Allison's novel is being released in January 2013. You can follow her at StanBrookshire.com

Another author I have had the pleasure of meeting during my involvement with the November writing fest is Hilary Slater. She is a multi-faceted artist who paints, writes, plays the cello, and is a studying yoga instructor. Over the course of the past ten Novembers she has written 23 first draft novels. However, it wasn't until this year that she has ventured forth to release her first self-published novel, The Bird People. The novel, catered towards the Young Adult demographic, is a tale of two children who learn they are descended from an ancient civilization that can transform themselves into aviary creatures. The children then embark on a life-altering quest to the South American continent in an attempt to find not only their long-lost grandfather, but more about themselves. The Bird People is slated for an early 2013 release. Find out more about this talented writer and artist on her blog, HilarySlater.com

That's all for now here at my writing desk. In case I forget between now and then, I would like to wish all of the readers Happy Holidays and a very Happy and Healthy 2013. Thank you all for your continued support, and keep reading.