HAWAII! Cover Without Color

 Here's the latest cover in black and white for HAWAII! We're getting closer!

 

Choices

 For the Value Study, #4 was the one Erik liked the best, and it was also my favorite. But when we don't agree, I always yield to his greater experience...

For the Color Study, #5, the orange and purple one was our favorite so far (without the stripe down the leg)...

 

 

 

Color Studies for HAWAII!

The next tasks are the color studies. These are small, quick, and low-stake sketches or paintings used to plan color palettes, compositions, and lighting.

Here are some choices. Which one is your favorite?☺

 

Value Study for HAWAII!

It's been quite a busy year with the release of Book 3: OHIO! The Mystery of the Mound last spring. 

A trip to five of the Hawaiian Islands was an amazing experience and supplied me with so much information for Book 4: HAWAII! Pineapple Peril. I completed the first draft by September 2025.

Next came editing, editing, and more editing.   

Erik Drohman, illustrator and graphic designer extraordinaire, has been working hard on the cover. Here's the "value study" which is a simplified sketch focusing only on light and dark tones—no color—to establish composition, depth, and lighting. 

Let me know which one you like the best. I'll let you know my choice later...

I can't wait for the color version! Stay tuned! 

 

 

First draft of Book 4 - HAWAII! Pineapple Peril DONE!

I'm thrilled to report that the first draft of Book 4 - HAWAII! Pineapple Peril is complete! It's been a long time coming, because I kept getting interrupted. 

However, as I reviewed my writing calendar pages from January to August, I only counted eleven weeks of work, which is about what it takes. So, in a way, I was right on target, just not working consistently every day.

 Next task is to read it through - today or tomorrow - and see how much editing has to be done.  

 Happy Labor Day weekend! 

 

 

The Boss

For several weeks, I've been agonizing over which plot twist Book 4 - "HAWAII! Pineapple Peril" should take. There are several strands I'm considering, and I can't decide which one is the best. In other words, I'm spending a lot of time staring at the screen. Getting nothing. Nothing.

But this morning, over breakfast, I read an article in an old Sunday NYT about Bruce Springsteen and his creative process: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/18/arts/music/bruce-springsteen-tracks-ii-the-lost-albums-interview.html 

"I'm a soul miner," he said. "So I'm down in the mine and I'm chipping away. And very often I'm getting nothing, nothing, nothing—more often than not. Nothing, nothing, nothing. And then you hit a vein. And when you hit that vein, Bang! Things come pouring out. And you've struck some gold, musical gold..." 

Or in my case - maybe - prose gold. 

Thank you, Bruce, for the reminder that much of creating we can't control. We have to wait for the door to open into that part of us that dreams up stories, music, poems, and art. 

Back to Hawaii

 

 FYI: I'm not actually going back to Hawaii. Although, I am keeping the above photo open on my computer as I write. I'm back to Book 4: HAWAII! Pineapple Peril and trying to get a completed first draft. Then, I can let it sit for a bit before I rip it apart. 

Today's word count was 503. However, that's not the whole story, as I spent a huge amount of time reviewing the story, editing, and thinking (staring at the computer screen). I made terrific progress because of the word count, which is one metric that I can use to track my progress. But best of all, I have a road map for my next several writing sessions. I may not know exactly what I'm going to write, but I do know where I'll begin tomorrow. 

Stay tuned. I'm going to be better at posting my progress.

 Meanwhile, I'm over the moon about the great response to Book 3: OHIO! The Mystery of the Mound. Thanks, everyone!