What's Coming In 2024? 🎊

Hi, guys—

I hope everyone's December has gotten off to a stellar start. I wanted to take this newsletter to discuss my writing & release schedule for the coming year. Yeah, I know; I did that a few months back. But something has changed since then—and it's pretty cool.

If you were on my list in March, you may recall my mentioning a tv/movie rights inquiry from a well-known Hollywood producer's assistant. At the time, I reported that things hadn't panned out.

Well...I spoke too soon. 😁

Since then, I've had several lengthy calls with said producer to discuss his vision for a Hidden Valor tv/streaming series. While I'm not yet able to get into the specifics of that vision, I can share that the producer recently sent my entertainment lawyer a formal contract. It's being negotiated as I write this.

So what does this all mean? Honestly—not a heck of a lot! 😂 

Even if this agreement is a go, getting a single novel or a book series "optioned by Hollywood" is a common enough event in the writing world. It's also simply the first step in a very lengthy process—and there are so many ways a project can fall apart before it reaches the screen.

That said, the fact that this contract is now officially on the table—and that this isn't even the first tv/movie rights inquiry that I've received for Kate & Ruger's series this past year—means that I need to reassess my fiction-writing schedule. For my own peace of mind, I need to be better prepared for the possibility that this may move forward.

As you know, I had planned to return to my Deception Point series & write book 4, Pitch Black, this winter. Reality is that I need to stay with Kate & Ruger for another 2 books. Not only do I need a bit more Hidden Valor content for a pending production company to work with, I also want the main cast of characters developed further so that executives can tell where the series is headed.

Yep, this would be a major reason as to why I decided to write the story of how Kate & Ruger met sooner than I'd planned. I wanted their history in print before a screenwriter got ahold of them. Even if Invisible Wounds does not make it into a Hidden Valor tv series as a separate episode or an overarching season plot, the material is now there to draw from.

So, the upshot to my revised schedule is that Pitch Black has been pushed into next year. I hope you can bear with me! As for the Hidden Valor book that's taken its place: I've already finished the mind map. I'll be creating the plot for Last Dog Out this month & writing the manuscript this winter. I'm thoroughly stoked by the premise of this particular book. Once I have the outline finished, I'll share the blurb with you.

Naturally, I'll also let you know how the current Hollywood contract negotiations turn out. Until then, keep those fingers crossed!

—Candace