My answer has always been:  “One.”

This summer I’m going to change that up.  I have several books under contract, and I’m going to work on four of them simultaneously.  I’ve already started two of the books, and in the next couple weeks, all four will be rolling.

I don’t recommend this to someone who’s writing their first or second novel.  The chances are that you will eventually have a pile of unfinished books stuffed in drawers.  When the writing gets tough (which it does everyday BTW… forever) new writers are tempted to switch their attention to a new story, and if they do, somehow they never get back to the previous attempt.

So why am I trying this?  I’ve written over a dozen novels and I know how to finish a novel.  (In fact, one of the differences between an “author” and a “writer” is that an author finishes what he or she is working on).   Writing doesn’t get easier (In fact, I think it gets harder because your standards and expectations increase).  But one thing you do get better at, with experience, is keeping story lines separate in your head.   This includes your various character’s voices and their Point of View within that story.

When I’m on the road, with hotels, airplanes, speaking, and meeting people, it’s all I can do to keep one book going.  At home, the only thing I really have to do is find my office, sit down, and write.

I tend to “fiddle” with stories, even when I’m only working on one story.  I take it out and correct a sentence, or a word here or there while I’m in the middle of doing other things like hanging out with the grandsons, or watching a movie on TV.

I’ll have four books to fiddle with over the summer and I’ll keep all of you up to date on this bold experiment as it progresses.

A beautiful day here in Oregon. I was up relatively early this morning considering when I went to sleep. I spent a couple hours answering email, checking the schedule for the next week, and of course drinking a lot of coffee.

Slowly, but surely we’ve been fixing up our 30+ year old house. There are only a couple of things left to fix. Contractors came by this morning to figure out what to do with the original bathroom downstairs. I should mention that this has absolutely nothing to do with me. Marie is in charge of all things related to the house.

I’m working on a new book while I wait for the edits to come back on I,Q2 and a couple other novels that I’ve finished.

My web fellow Daniel Payne stopped by this afternoon to help me set up a Fan Page on FaceBook. Apparently FaceBook limits your friends to 5,000 people. I’m not there yet, but I’m rapidly getting close to that number. I decided to be proactive so I don’t miss any new friends. I didn’t really want to go this way on FaceBook. It’s a little unseemly to create your own fan page, but I have no choice.  I will not be posting new updates on my personal page.

If you get a notice about it, please click “join” so I can stay in touch with you.  Or you can click here.  Or you can click the FaceBook logo on my home page.  A lot of clicking options. I promise it will be painless. And pass it onto all your friends. There is plenty of room.

Beautiful sunrise this morning.  I love to wake up in  time to see the sunrise, although during the winter here in Oregon (on the west side of the mountains) being able to see the sun come up is rare because of the cloud cover.

I was supposed to be flying to Baltimore today for a school visit tomorrow, but I got a “snow day” due to all the snow they’ve had there in the past few weeks. The visit was moved to later this spring so they can make up for the days they lost.

Working on I,Q2.  Then a morning Skype visit with a group of students that had read “Peak” at Messalonskee Middle School and their librarian, Liz McMahon in Oakland, Maine.  Good group of students with good questions.

Back to I,Q2 until 4:00.  Another Skype visit with students at Dr. Phillips High School and librarian Jenny Beyer in Orlando Florida.  This was an evening Skype with students and parents.  Large crowd.  Again, great fun with great questions.  I’m looking into other web cast programs that should make these online visits more effective, interactive, and secure.  If any of you have a experience with the software and/or web casts please leave a comment here.  Before I sign up for one of them I want to see what’s out there and experiment.

After the visit I’m back to I,Q2.  I’m wondering if this novel should be called “I,Q Book Two: The Leopard” rather than “I,Q Book Two: The White House” because in it you are going to learn a great deal about Angela’s mom, Malak, and what it’s like to be in her nerve racking shoes.

The plan…

Continue to hunker down in the office writing until Tuesday, then we’ll head north to Niki’s for Thanksgiving.

If there are any editors lurking on this blog, fear not, I will continue to write, only taking a short break to creep out of my son-in-law’s study to eat a bit of turkey.

I’ve actuually figured out a way to keep all the stories in my pocket with a iTouch and an App called Documents To Go. It allows me to work wherever I am and sync my progress on the laptop when I find a flat surface I can sit at for awhile. (Works with an iPhone too, but I try to shut that trusty gizmo off when I’m writing books).

A pocketful novels…in progress.

I’m often asked: “Where do you live?”

I live in Oregon (born and raised). My wife, Marie, and I have a small farm twenty minutes south of Portland. The farm is 35 acres. (We co-own 30 acres of the farm with Marie’s sister and her husband). There are two houses on the farm. One for them, one for us.

Our house is six-hundred feet from the road. It’s a simple

house, but very comfortable, and we like it a lot, and feel very fortunate to live in it
.
My brother-in-law raises a few beef cattle and hay. One of our nieces keeps a horse here. We have two barn cats. In the spring Marie’s mother puts in a big vegetable garden.

About 8 o’clock every evening a cool breeze blows up our little valley and makes us smile.

The farm is a gathering place with family and friends constantly coming and going. Our house is never empty, even when we’re away. This makes us happy too. It would be a shame to have a place like this without someone here to enjoy it.

Marie was raised on the farm and has been here for 40 years. I’ve been here nearly twenty years. It’s a wonderful place to write.