In looking at the novels, I'd like to release in 2012, I have seven particular projects in mind, and of those seven, I have already completed the first draft of these four:

The other three novels are in various stages of completion:

I guess I'll see how far I get with each project.  Here's hoping for a wonderful year!

In planning what novels I'm going to be working on releasing this year, I looked back to see what I released in 2011.  Here's the breakdown:  five novels, one multi-novel set, one short story/poetry collection, and one straight poetry collection.  Not bad for twelve months.  I guess it helps that I'd written twenty-four novels before jumping into independent publishing.

Here's the covers of my 2011 releases and tomorrow I'll blog about what I'm hoping 2012 holds for my readers.

Twenty-two-year-old Jordan Carroway has a plan--marry his best friend, Alyssa and start a family. A month before the wedding, he meets Nicole O'Roarke during a physical education class. Nicole--the woman who tips his canoe, steps on a cactus, and makes him laugh. They fall madly in love, though neither confess it as they both feel the weight of responsibility. Jordan ultimately keeps his promise and marries Alyssa. Nicole also returns to her life, not realizing that love left its mark, and it's not through with either of them.


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I figure it's about time for a post about my writing progress since things have been so hectic.  So here it comes.

Right now I'm on the downhill slide of finishing my current work-in-progress.  It's a science fiction/women's fiction novel titled Surrogate.  At present, I'm probably just at about 20,000 words from completing it, and I'm really hoping to have the first draft off to the editor by November 1st for a late December/early January release.

I also have the edits back on a paranormal romance called A Willing Sacrifice.  This time around, I'm looking at changes in the story, so I didn't want to start on that until I finish Surrogate.  Unfortunately, November is also looming, and that means NaNoWriMo is coming up faster than I expected.  For those of you who aren't familiar with NaNoWriMo, it's an annual event in November where writers try to complete a work of 50,000 words in 30 days.  Last year I did finish over 50,000 words of Skunks, Trunks, & Pedro.  This year, I'm toying between two projects:  Dreamwalker Abattoir, Dreamer, and Witness.  So, here's where you, my readers, come in to help me figure out what November is going to be about.  I'm putting up a poll on the home page with these two choices.  Help me figure out which novel you really want to read first, and I'll write it.  Of course, you do have to vote here, because I'm a lousy mind reader, and at the end of October, I'll look at the poll, and that will be my next novel.

I'm going to put up links to the two different novel pages to look at the choices.  And if you like the cover art for Witness and Dreamer, you really should check out Claudia McKinney (otherwise known by her company name:  Phatpuppy Art.  Her page is at http://phatpuppyart.com/.  You won't be sorry.  Just don't blame me if you never want  to leave her page....

You can find an interview about me over at Unputdownable Books.  http://unputdownablebookies.blogspot.com/2011/07/author-interview-maria-rachel-hooley.html

This morning I woke to a wonderful surprise.  Naj finished the cover art for A Willing Sacrifice.  Here's what she came up with!

I've just uploaded a new collection of short stories and poems called Life In Debris.  Currently, the collection is live at barnesandnoble.com so you can get it for the nook.  I'm thinking it's going to be a few days before Amazon gets it out there, and I'm probably going to have to work on the formatting for the print edition and the Smashwords edition. 

Otherwise, I'm still progressing on the second book in the Dreamwalker series, discovering Alterna right along with Misha.  I'm still hoping for a June release, but I'm thinking that has everything to do with getting the book edited after I finish it.

I've also put some new covers up on my website, one of which is A Willing Sacrifice.  I'm hoping to get that novel out by the end of the years as well.

Lately, I've had lots of people asking me about the second book in the Dreamwalker series.  I think it was probably that cliffhanger ending that did it.  At any rate, I started working on the second novel in the series earlier this month, and I hope to have the novel completed and edited by June.  Right now I'm about fifty pages in.

There will be three novels in the series, and I'm sure that most of you have noticed the evolving cover art.  Right now I am waiting on my faithful cover artist Ronnell Porter to complete cover art for all three novels.  I have high expectations, and he's given me an idea what he's working on.  If you look at the other covers of my books, you can easily spot his work in the Sojourner books, among others.  I can tell you that when the art comes, it will definitely have been worth the wait!