The Watcher

Is it too soon to start thinking of another novel?

I've completed the second draft of my Dark Water manuscript but I've sent it to friends and family who will proofread the story. I'm hoping they give me honest feedback and can point out any holes in the story.

When I get that feedback, I'll make any necessary changes and then submit the final draft to a professional editor and a possible publisher. There is still a lot of work to go before we see Dark Water in print, if we see it at all.

I'm hoping it gets published. I like the characters of Inspector DS Erin Hayes, and I'd like to see them move forward in another story.

Last week, after running through my first full read of the completed manuscript, I had an idea for the next case. I've even come up with the title.

Image: Perplexity

The Watcher.

So far, there's not much to this story but that was exactly how I started with Dark Water. When I made the decision to write my first crime novel, I started with the victim and a location where she'd be found, and I built from there. At the start of my outline, I didn't even know who the killer was nor why the victim would end up floating in the Rideau River.

With The Watcher, I'm thinking about creating a serial killer who has targeted people in Ottawa's ByWard Market. There's also a minor detail that I briefly touched on in Dark Water that I'd like to continue in the sequel and expand upon.

I'm even thinking that the case won't be completely solved by the end of the story, with one antagonist getting away (and I'll save them for a third novel).

Wow, I'm really getting ahead of myself.

As I said when I finished the first draft of Dark Water, I was surprised at how quickly I was able to come up with the story, create the bare bones, and flesh out the details. I had a lot of fun writing the story and my own excitement spurred me on.

Now that I'm almost ready to start the final draft and have no major writing to do with it (unless it comes back from the editor with serious changes suggested), I want to keep the writing going. I want to see what Calloway and Hayes do next.

Here we go again... stay tuned.