TJ Wilde series – Page 2 – Annie DeMoranville

UNDERWAY Chapter One

In Paperback and Kindle

Underway, the second book in the TJ Wilde trilogy is now available. Here is chapter one:

Underway: A TJ Wilde Mystery

I was wet and cold, and wondering what the hell I was going to do. I had no cell service, and no one knew where I was. Well, at least no one I would want to know. I could only hope the Mysterious Texter anonymously threatening me wasn’t waiting for me at the end of this. Luckily, the long, stone passageway, lit only by my cell phone flashlight, looked infinite, so if he were there, maybe he’d get tired of waiting and leave.

I moved cautiously, the ground was composed of uneven stone, and it was damp and slippery. Read more…

Chapter two starts here.

Novel Recipes: Italian Sausage and Grapes

So in Run Aground I had several recipes that I’ve linked to my recipe blog. I have continued the tradition with Underway.

First it was Tahini Walnut Rolls

Next up, Italian Sausage and Grapes:

It’s sounds unusual, but it has amazing flavor and so quick and easy to prepare.

The recipe is here.

Buon appetito!

Underway Update and Big Reveal

Update 11/15/19 – the manuscript is about ready to go to the editor. And I have a surprise! The draft of the Underway Cover. I’m loving it. What do you think?

Previous update:

I wanted to give you an update on Underway. As is obvious now, my projected publishing date has come and gone. I’ve now revised it for (hopefully) a December release. The reasons why are two-fold.

One, life got in the way and derailed my desire to write. And in some ways even my ability to write. I addressed that with my Anger Journal, and my creativity appears to be back on track.

The more important reason, though, was I got lost halfway through book two, mired in structure instead of remembering why I was writing. I forgot that I love TJ Wilde. I love telling her story. I love her quirkiness, her flaws, her inability to commit, her damaged soul, and mostly her fight to stay positive and moving toward what she wants.

In other words, I lost her voice. And I love her voice.

My first editor really, really did not like TJ, felt she was too dysfunctional, too morally challenged. She tried several times to sterilize her. I was a brick wall on that point. We agreed to disagree and instead focused on the structure and timing of the novel.

My current editor loves TJ as much as I do. Appreciates her tang, her spark, her weaknesses, and I suspect we will tangle more on pacing and structure than we will on characters.

Anyway, I’ve taken a long break, finished my cookbook, and dabbled with my other series. Most importantly, I indulged in the female characters that reminded me of how I like my heroes: the inept, yet fearless bounty hunter with a love of big hair and bigger eyelashes; the filled with anger and teenage hormones private eye; the “rules are for adults” preteen with a penchant for uncovering mysteries; the overall-wearing six-year-old with impulse control issues; the vampire slayer, also awash in teenage hormones and resentment; and yes, I suppose even a cowardly, clumsy talking Great Dane.

So now, refreshed, I now feel ready to tackle (with a lot of rewriting) Underway again.

I’m hoping to have a least a rough draft of Chapter One to share soon.

Stay tuned…

Cuba Adventures

I haven’t even begun to download my photos yet – or unpack the memories of this amazing trip. So I’m stealing this photo from my traveling companion as a placeholder. I have tons of ideas for the book and I’ll write a blog post on our adventures as soon as I finish laundry, snuggle with the critters and a get caught up on work. Definitely left a little of my in Cuba. Stay tuned…

Paris In The Fall: Day 1

I’ve been having difficulty putting Paris into words, which is why the delay in my promised posts. I think I just feel that everything that can be said about the City of Lights has already been said. But I’ll give it a shot.

Paris was beautiful and I enjoyed every moment of it. The people were friendly, kind and welcoming. Fall was in full force as we walked….everywhere. We mastered the Metro and wound our way through the tree line streets to museums, gardens, cafes and the cemetery.

The Eiffel Tower was directly outside the hotel window creating a pretty sweet nightlight with hourly sparkles.

I found many things as I walked through quiet museums and busy neighborhoods, but what I did not find was my heart. There was beauty, art and history, all things I love. But I was really surprised that as much as I loved it, it was not the zing to my heart that I expected.

Maybe a girl can only have one city steal her heart, and mine was stolen by Boston long, long ago. Still, every day in Paris was a lovely adventure.

There’s more and I’ll share in the days to come…especially the cemetery…

Tag: TJ Wilde series