Peter E. Fenton January Newsletter

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If you peeked into my writing room over the last six weeks you would have seen a lot of index cards and post-it notes as I dug deep into revisions on my latest novel. Writing the second installment of The Declan Hunt Mysteries has taught me a great deal about the challenges of writing a series. I struggled with choices connected to how much I would reference of the first novel in the second book. I pondered how to integrate plot points that will show up in the third book of the series, and still make them integral to the plot of the second book. And I kept wanting to tell more story, but when does the story become too much for one novel? All of these are questions I have been asking for the past month as I took Hoodoo House from a 100 000 word draft down to a novel that is now around 57 000 words.

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So where did those other 42 619 words go? Some of them will show up in the newsletter as deleted scenes closer to the launch of the book. Some of them will appear as chapters in the next book. And some of them … well, too many sub-plots make for too complex a book and I simply had to cut them and acknowledge that they were part of the process of getting to the ultimate story. 

Some people plot everything methodically, but in the case of Hoodoo House, I let the characters tell me where they wanted the story to go. As a result this novel took several twists and turns that I never would have imagined possible. I think the end result is quite exciting. The book is now with the editor, where it will go through a three-stage process. Pride Publishing is planning on releasing the book June 25th of this year.

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It was a delight to talk to Coffee Time Romance about my writing process and upcoming projects. The interview was quite extensive, and was done last fall, and released early in January. To read the full interview click here.

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A huge thanks to the Small But Mighty M/M Romance group for hosting me as an author at their #ownvoices party this past weekend. The virtual party was attended by hundreds of readers, and it was exciting and fun to interact with people from all over the world. If you are on facebook and want to keep up on all things M/M Romance, why not join the group? You can find them on facebook by clicking here.

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While the novels are with the publisher being edited, the spring will be spent in rehearsals for a new musical that will tour for 5 weeks. I co-wrote the book on the above show with my partner Scott White and we look forward to diving in with a talented trio of actors to get this musical comedy up on the boards.

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2024 will not only include the release of two novels (more on my youth novel Not Not Normal in a future newsletter), but will also include some conferences. I am delighted to be one of the authors attending the Northern Rainbow Romance Retreat from October 6th-8th, and even more thrilled that it is happening in Toronto. For details about the conference, click here.

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I am still working on a date for a signing in Toronto for Mann Hunt, and of course, 2024 will also be spent writing the third and final installment of The Declan Hunt Mysteries. It doesn’t have a title yet, but I can say that the mystery will happen in the Rocky Mountains outside of Calgary, and that Declan and Charlie’s relationship will be put to the test like never before.

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Thanks for reading, and to those who have just joined, thanks for signing up to get all the latest news. I look forward to updating you with more exciting developments on the work this year.

Warmest Regards,

Peter E. Fenton