The Long and Winding Road
![The Long and Winding Road](https://reluctantauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cabin-1024x768-192842_135x135.jpg)
And before I knew it, almost a year had passed, and no updates to my blog…
Where Have I Been?
The last several months have been very busy as, with my sister, we cleaned out our childhood home and got it ready for sale. It’s been a long process, but I think we see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I’ve been slowly working on the new novel, spending my time revising the next Reluctant novel. I still don’t have a title yet because I can’t find one that resonates with me. The revision process has been slow and arduous, but I have completed a draft that is fairly readable. I spent most of the time on my annual fall writing retreat revising it.
![](https://reluctantauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Cabin-1024x768.jpg)
Right now, I’m shopping for an editor to help me whip the book into shape because I’m at the point where I honestly do not know if it’s good or not. I enjoy reading it, but I’m looking for an objective opinion on the book because I can’t judge it at this point. I will say that in my search for an editor that the initial response has been encouraging.
As a result, it’s likely that the book won’t be ready for publication until later this year. I usually try to publish in June, but I hope I can have it ready in the October – November timeframe, but don’t hold me to that. I’m also looking at refreshing the covers for The Reluctant Captain and The Reluctant Agent, which I will probably do with the launch of the new book. While I love the current cover art, they don’t really match the style of other books on the market and I hope that a new cover will make them more attractive to new readers.
While I wait to get the new book edited, I’m going to start on the next Reluctant book. My original plan had been to start a new series featuring Nigel Sinclair from The Reluctant Agent, but I have an idea for Malcolm’s further adventures so I’m going to strike while the iron is hot.
What Else Have I Been Up To?
As the pandemic restrictions have loosened, I’m back to playing trumpet again. Right now, I’m a member of four concert bands and two big bands. I know that if I wasn’t at band rehearsal as often, I would have more time to write, but playing regularly honestly helps keep my sanity. In my current job, I work from home so band rehearsals are a chance to get me out of the house. And I’ve rekindled my love of swing and jazz which I’ve realized I missed playing.
The other project I worked on this year has at least a tentative link to Malcolm. In my dad’s garage, he had an old radio (an RCA 5T1 complete with vacuum tubes) that my great-grandmother had painted canary yellow. The radio had been in my dad’s garage for as long as I could remember. I stripped it and refinish it. Since my electrical engineering skills have long since atrophied (and I’m pretty sure we never covered the vacuum tubes in Electrical Science), I decided against trying to repair it. Instead, I turned it into a Bluetooth wireless speaker. I gutted the internals and replaced them with a Bluetooth amplifier and a single speaker capable of stereo output. I’m thrilled with the result and frequently use it while I’m working:
That’s the current news for now. My cat reminds you that my books are available (see the links on the right):
![](https://reluctantauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Jazz-and-Books-768x1024.jpg)
Until next time,
Happy Journeys!
Mike