HE WROTE: Killing a Dead Horse.

I know. Bummer title after writing sex scenes.

I'll have to re-read DON'T LOOK DOWN because I don't remember any sex scenes. I know people find it hard to believe, but for authors, well this author, previous books fade fast in the memory. Well, pretty much everything fades fast in my memory. But we've about got all the details of the book tour next month for DLD locked down, like flights and stuff, although I notice the flight from the last signing home is TBD.

This reminds me very much of when we used to get mission briefings in Special Forces. It was all very detailed and elaborate when they were discussing infiltrating and the mission. They sure as heck put a lot of energy getting us wherever they wanted us to go and what they wanted us to do when we got there. But it always got very vague reference exfiltration, i.e. the trip home. It just didn't seem as important to everyone except us, of course. That's why a team always made a "go-to-shit" E&E plan. Escape and evasion. Where we relied on no one but ourselves to get us out of wherever we were. I've stood on more than one PZ-- pick up zone-- in the middle of the night with an infrared strobe flashing during the two minutes before-two minutes after exfil time window and never heard the comforting sound of the chopper we were awaiting.

Where was I? Fading memory. I'm so focused on writing Agnes and Chase that DLD seems forever ago. Someone asked me a specific question the other day about one of my earlier books, one I really like, THE ROCK, under my Doherty name, and I had no clue what he was talking about.

Anyway, what was the point of this post? Oh, yes, looking up at the happy title. Killing a Dead Horse. I've taught a lot of writing over the years and there's a trend among people who want to get published: they beat the proverbial dead horse, hoping it will miracuously come to life and win the Kentucky Derby.

Not very likely. Not even likely.

There's a learning curve as a writer, just like anything else in life. The first manuscript is usually not very good. The second, if you're willing to learn, will be better. Rewriting can only fix so much. Sometimes you just got to let it go. And this from the guy who fights Jenny tooth-and-nail over even cutting a single scene in a book. So a rough rule of thumb to consider, just a suggestion, is if you've spent a year revising and trying to sell a manuscript, move on. Also, the one piece of advice I always give is that as soon as you finish your first manuscript, start writing your second.

Yes, sometimes the book is good and it's just not the right time. BODYGUARD OF LIES is an example. Couldn't sell it about eight years ago because it had two female leads in a thriller. Sold it two years ago because that was now in vogue. I don't ever throw anything out. I've got tons of partial manuscripts and ideas and even one complete manuscript I never marked on my computer. Who knows what the future holds? But I'm always moving forward. Even while Jenny and I are writing AGNES AND THE HITMAN, I'm working on CHASING THE GHOST, a book not under contract. The only reason I'm still standing after most of the other authors whose first novel came out in 1991 had to go find real jobs, is I always stayed one manuscript ahead.

Ok, I remember now. There are sex scenes in DLD. Wilder actually has a pretty good time. Lucky Wilder. But, see now I'm focused on Shane getting lucky with Agnes. Always stay one step ahead. Even if it looks like he's going to be the object of Agnes' revenge boink. He'll take one for the team.