Oh, to have HER problems!




I am sure that no writer at this moment faces more pressure than JK Rowling for producing "the next thing." She admitted in a recent article that she does not expect to write something "as popular" as Harry Potter ever again, but I sort of hope, on her behalf and ours, that she does, even if it is, as she claims, as unlikely as having lightning striking twice in the same spot.





I, on the other hand, don't have JK Rowling's problems. My problem as a fiction writer? What to focus on? Here are my three candidates:

1. My latest novel, The Servants, which I think of as a "pseudo thriller" because while it has thriller elements, in good Jordan style, it manages to straddle any actual neat categories (no, not on purpose). I've sent it out for feedback three times, made changes and sent it to my agent. I'm waiting for her thoughts before carrying on with it, because I know she'll have them, and I trust her opinion.





2. My YA fantasy (called The Traveler right now) that I've written about 100 pages of and which I like very much. The problem is, I can't really decide if the plot is original enough yet--I'm trying to read as much YA as I can, but it's hard to tell. I like my character and her story, and the plot has crystallized some, but still...is it worth pursuing?





3. My first ever true adult fantasy novel (tentatively called The Catalyst). About 50 pages written. No, not fantasy as in elves, magical kindgoms, etc...but there is no other way to describe what happens to the characters. What I like about this most is my main character, who is a smack-talking former foster kid, less than five feet tall who wants more from life than to live and die in her middle of nowhere southwestern town working as a waittress (fictional), and who is thrilled, upon visiting the hospital with her pregnant friend, to get involved with an alleged murderer with amnesia and a coma victim who keeps spontaneously bursting into flames.



I just wish I could focus right now.





J