Alright…back at it today…So where am I?
First up…My first manuscript. I’m still in the revising and editing stage (or rather…back in the revising and editing stage). The working title for this WIP is Interdiction and the premise is pretty simple:
There’s a new president in the White House who is intent on ending American troop presence in the Middle East. He has all of the public and legislative support he needs to make it happen. Nicholas DeGuerra, the CEO and founder of TitanX Security, knows that the president’s new initiative spells disaster for his company and, more importantly, his personal fortune. With nothing left to lose, DeGuerra steals a nuke and launches a desperate operation designed to start a war from which the United States military cannot escape. Brian Thompson is a US Navy Chief serving on a battered US Navy destroyer with orders to stop DeGuerra’s stolen nuke from reaching its destination.
The manuscript has been “finished” for a few months now, but there are certain things I want do do before I think it is polished enough to send out. I do need to be careful. I’m at a bit of a tipping point with the word count. It currently stands at 117,000 words. Too much cutting and I’ll start poking holes in the plot or removing some of the life from the characters. Too much added and I’m going to blow through the high end of what most publishers and agents will consider. Guess I need to be really creative.
Next up: My second manuscript. Not going to give away anything here other than to say that it is not the same genre as the first manuscript. Think Knives Out crossed with Clue and maybe a bit of The Game thrown in for seasoning. Currently stands at 35,000 words out of an estimated 70,000.
Last…Working on my thesis for Johns Hopkins University. On track to graduate with an MA in Writing in May of this year.
That’s it for the update. Will be back on shortly for some other postings.
Matt Hardman 