What am I writing?

I have two weeks before I start Camp NaNoWriMo where/when I plan to write most of the first draft of my next Klondike Mystery, "Almost a Touch". What to do with these two weeks? Two weeks without a husband in the house (he's off on a motorcycle trip to Maryland to see family).

No problem. Last year I was invited by one of my favorite authors, Toby Neal, to write a book for her then new Lei Crime Kindle World. I was still living in Ecuador, knee deep in several projects and had to decline but took a raincheck on the offer.

What is a Kindle World? This explains it the best... "a digital publishing platform where writers can publish fan fiction under official licenses." And the Lei Crime Kindle World is an exciting one.

"Hawaii is palm trees, black sand and blue water—but for policewoman Lei Texeira, there’s a dark side to paradise. Lei has overcome a scarred past to make a life for herself as a cop, but often the cases she works activate wounds and complications from her tangled family history. Lei is affected deeply by her cases even as she solves them with persistence, obsession, and intuition. She falls in love with Michael Stevens, the charismatic detective she works with, and they make a life solving crime in contemporary Hawaii with all its beauty and deadliness. Many crime solving stories remain to be written."

Fast forward to early this year, I was approached again by Toby and the more I thought about it, the more excited I got. I didn't have to write a full novel. It could be a short story or a novella. Late one night, my brain ran rampant. I woke with the basis for what I hope will be a trilogy of novellas for this Kindle World. All three will involve some area of popular tourism in Hawaii; the first will involve scuba diving, the second will involve cruise ships and the third the ever popular luau.

The titles currently are planned to be:

• "Whispers in Paradise"
• "Sparks in Paradise"
• "Touched in Paradise"

Anyone notice a familiar trend here? LOL!

If you haven't read any of Toby's Lei Crime series, try out the first book. I was hooked immediately.

Blood Orchids

So I have been busy the last couple of days, doing a lot of research about Hawaii in order to determine the book's setting as well as a lot of research about a lot of other 'things' Hawaiian. So far I have over 5000 words written and I will be working feverously to get the first draft done before the end of the month. Wish me luck!