getting back on the horse

I was terrified of horses when I was a child, yet when my parents decided to separate, they enrolled my sister and I in equestrian camp to take our minds off the domestic situation.  I think I was six or seven, and I spent most of my time indoors, drawing the massive beasts I was too afraid to ride.  A few years later, my grandfather began to take us riding as a special treat (followed by a stop at Dairy Queen) and when I spent a semester in England during college, we actually went pony-trekking in Wales.  Once I got to be taller than a horse’s shin, I got over my fear.  So perspective is as important as persistence…

After not writing a WORD for several months, I finally sat down and started two new chapters of Judah’s Tale.  Every time I do a reading or author visit someone invariably asks me when the sequel’s going to be done.  And I tell them it won’t be long, maybe by the end of the summer; I assure them I’m “working on it.”  Well, most of that work lately has been dreaming up the back-story that will hopefully move the plot forward AND fill in some gaps from the first book.  I have two new teen characters and some actual historical figures who’ve joined the cast…and right now I’m struggling to incorporate the contemporary and historical realities of LGBTQ youth.  Now, a queer friend of mine warned me against this, but I’ve decided to give it a try.  I started writing Wish in 2001, and a lot has changed in my life and in this country since that time.  I started writing plays in 2004, and of the 8 full-lengths I finished, half have gay or lesbian characters.  So why should my novels be any different?  I know my friend’s worried I won’t get it right, but I still want—and need—to try.  And I will definitely do the research and ask for help!  So far the sequel feels a bit grim.  But you know what?  Life wasn’t all sunshine and roses for people of color in the 19th century.  IF—and I do mean IF—I ever write another novel, I think it will feature an aristocratic black woman.  Maybe a British plantation heiress from Belize who’s desired for her wealth but reviled for her racial difference in 18th-century London…I still remember reading Thackeray, I think, and recoiling at his descriptions of “woolly haired heiresses” trying their best to seduce prominent white sons of lords and ladies…time to set the record straight.

Ok, my green tea is cooling and I think I’ve got at least one more chapter that’s ready to come out today.  If I finish something spectacular, I’ll post it later on…enjoy your weekend!