I have finally finished A Song of Bullets! It took several months longer than I'd anticipated, but is now completed after two years. The beginning's been reworked per editorial order, and the ending has totally changed from the first draft, because what worked for a dynamic Hollywood film script did not work in a book. The proofs are out to readers and I anticipate that the launch will be in early summer of this year.
Quite honestly, I am not certain I would have ever begun this book, let alone finished it, if it weren't for Kim Guidone. She was a guest professional from Hollywood, to whom I pitched the screenplay version a couple of years ago at the Willamette Writer's Conference in Portland, Oregon. She read it and came back with some really insightful notes on how to make the story better. Strengthen the love story, for example. The relationship between my protagonist and her love interest became the one constant throughout the story, despite the roller coaster of blazing rows, break-ups and unfaithfulness. I had hereto concentrated more on the thriller aspect ... the undercover and espionage work, and terrorism. Suddenly thanks to Kim the book whooshed into life, and I just hung on, writing down what my characters decided to do. It certainly was an awesome ride!
I'm still ambivalent about the title. It was originally called The Peace Between Them, but is now officially called A SONG OF BULLETS.
