Much to my own surprise, I am all but done with the draft of the next book in the historical YA series – the Kettering Family saga. The sequel to West Towards the Sunset is all but finished, just a post-script chapter to finish, and to assemble some historical notes to wrap up an account of young Jon Ketterings’ experiences in the early days of the California Gold Rush and it will all be ready for beta readers to have a go. (Seriously – anyone with special deep knowledge of the early days of the Gold Rush want to have a go? Send me a comment, and I’ll arrange for a PDF.) My notion for writing a family saga covering over twenty or thirty years of events in the occasionally very wild west while keeping the protagonist as a tween, or young teen came as an inspiration – follow sequential children in the family as they start to take an interest in events and things around them. So this is Jon’s turn – as a lively 9-12 year-old boy, who as it has turned out – is slightly dyslexic, and disinclined to be enthusiastic towards anything resembling formal education. This quality does not present so much of a difficulty for his family in the 1840s as it would in this present day. The Kettering parents just quietly conclude that he is not one meant for scholarship and allow him the space to turn his interests in more practical directions. Which, as this is set in California in 1848-49 offered considerable scope to have him experience in some well-known aspects and some more obscure ones, witness some interesting events and make friends with at least one person who would later become very, very well known. (There will be perhaps three or four more adventures, taking the Kettering family up through the Civil War and slightly afterwards.)

So – that’s the current situation. Wee Jamie, the Wonder Grandson starts preschool next month. I will not nearly be tied as tightly to a 4-year-olds rigid schedule and needs, which will offer a bit more time for writing and other things. August looms up, along with a couple of book events and fairs, and we will be preparing for them. I might even be able to finish off the final Luna City installation (which is half-written out in draft), and start on the Hallmark Holiday Movie style Blue Collar Romance, suggested by my fellow bloggers.