Now that Ditched is complete and while I await feedback from my loyal beta readers on Downhill, I started my first thorough edit on the latest Sean Colbeth book, Canceled. Taking place nearly from the moment Downhill ends, there was actually about a year between the writing of the two books, so I was a bit concerned about maintaining a smooth connection between the two stories. My goal has long been to make each story feel like it seamlessly moved into the next one in the series; I’ve caught a few things that have had to be adjusted, but on the whole, I feel pretty good that the average reader will be able to go from Downhill and right into Canceled as if they were back-to-back episodes on their favorite streaming service.
Canceled is bit of an experiment for me; among other things, I wanted to ratchet up the stakes a bit for Sean, but also have a realistic reason why he might once more partner with Vasily to take down some nefarious actor. Since my two main characters are now separated by more than just distance, it felt important to me to maintain that believability. As odd as it sounds, the idea for how to. make that happen in Canceled came from my memories of making the long drive from Portland to Fort Kent, endlessly searching the radio dial for something to pass the hours with.
In this age of podcasts and satellite radio, it’s sometimes hard to imagine there was a point in time when people would tune in for a particular show or disc jockey; in my case, I never failed to carve out time for NPR’s much-missed Talk of the Nation, which through the benefit of a wide-ranging public radio station in Maine, I could hear nearly anywhere along my route. Even today, I try to make sure I catch Science Friday or Fresh Air, though now it’s just as likely I’m streaming it on my smart device or laptop than my trusty desktop radio.
This idea of destination radio resonated as I was coming up with the plot for Canceled, along with the notion that somewhat supremely talented in the art form might just be able to hang on to being relevant despite all of the headwinds in the broadcast industry. Mix in a little bit of family intrigue and add a dash of murder… and, well, now you’ve got something that might just draw Sean and Vasily back together.
Though it won’t be out until sometime next year, I’m pretty excited with the story and can’t wait to share it with you! But for now, it’s back to editing… and thinking about the next story in the series…