Claire O'Dell—Living in an Alter­nate Future
Year In Review

Just Breathe…

How to summarize last year? Major items would include spraining my ankle beyond belief. Finalizing my divorce. Changing my last name to something entirely new. Unpacking all my boxes and setting up my apartment, only to buy a new condo and move AGAIN. Grieving the death of my cat Octavia, aka Tiny Dragon, who passed away from cancer. And learning to live by myself. I did manage to write, but I came nowhere close to finishing the novel.

So what about 2024?

Usually, I try to set a few specific goals for the year. Over time those goals have become smaller in number and less grandiose in scope, but I told myself that a couple should be easy enough, right?

Yeah right. So far, this has not worked, not last year, not ever.

So. I am taking a step back from…a lot of things. I’ve removed the “bookstore” from my website, and I won’t be sending out newsletters. I’ve also admitted to myself that I don’t want to be in any kind of a romantic relationship. I like living alone with my beloved elderly cat. I like being accountable to myself and myself alone. If I want to take a nap at three in the afternoon, then watch five episodes of Death in Paradise, I can and will do that.

As for writing, I’ve decided not to worry about word count. Last year, I spent a lot of time pulling my hair and gnashing my teeth mostly because I was clinging too hard to the original plot for Mansfield Park, and because I didn’t have a clear vision of the magic system and how it connected to my characters. I took a step back–actually several steps–and reworked the plot and world building. But this novel has turned out to need a marathon, not a race. I need to take it day by day, paragraph by paragraph.

And in between, I just breathe.

Octavia, 2009-2023

Uncategorized

Dusts Away The Cobwebs…

Oh hey, long time no see! No, I didn’t die, but a lot has been going on. The past eight months have been amazing, frustrating, satisfying, and exciting.

The satisfying and amazing are how I feel about my apartment. I accomplished everything I wanted–all the boxes unpacked, all the pictures framed and hung, new furniture acquired to fill in the blanks. Figgy also has a handsome red harness and leash for our outdoor sessions. I’ve also settled into living alone, and every day convinces me this was the right choice.

But however much I love my apartment, I realized I didn’t want to spend the rest of my life here, so last month, I started to look at condos. I found one I loved, made an offer, and had it accepted. The condo has all the advantages of my apartment, and solves a couple wishes/wants/needs. More living space. (I get a separate office with a door.) More patios. (All of which overlook lawn and not the parking lot.) A very pretty view of a lake.

Buying a condo means no money for another adventure. That’s okay, too. I can go on one next year.

One thing that has been both satisfying and frustrating has been the novel. On the one hand, I won’t finish a polished draft by year’s end. On the other, I worked and re-worked the plot for the first half and now it finally makes sense. The characters make sense. The plot makes sense. And if it took me a while, so be it. As I said, lots of stuff going on.

Other things going on: started gym session, badly sprained my ankle, spent two months living in a nest on my couch and going completely feral, divorce finalized, changed my last name, dealt with all the associated paperwork, and found out from my ex that my beloved Octavia cat has inoperable cancer. It’s been a lot.

Year In Review

This Brave New Year…

Since my last post, I’ve been hard at work rebuilding my life. Fig-Cat and I have moved into our new apartment. I’m gradually furnishing the space and making it mine. Figgy immediately bonded with her new cat cave and overall has adjusted well. My emotional state goes up and down, but overall I’m adjusting too. I’ve not been able to write yet, but I did have a glorious New Year’s holiday in the Canary Islands.

Normally, when I write these posts, I summarize the year just past. To be honest, I can’t. I just cannot. Let’s just say that I wrote, albeit slowly, and I’m happy with what I wrote.

But for this brave new year, this 2023, I will dare to set a (very) few goals:

  • I will finish NotMansfieldPark. And by finish, I mean an end-to-end draft that I have edited and polished until it gleams brighter than the sun. I started this nameless novel back in 2014, only to get tackled by Janet Watson and her story. This proved to be a good thing, because when I returned to the manuscript, I was a better writer. Now I can do justice to the story.
  • I will make this apartment my own. That is, all boxes unpacked, all pictures framed and hung on the walls, all the small details carried out in a way that pleases me.
  • I will go on another adventure somewhere in the world.

And that’s it. Let’s see how it goes.

View from my hotel on Gran Canaria, facing the infinity pool & the Atlantic
Personal

Well, That Took A Turn

My writing progress over the summer was slow, but the results really made me happy.

Then September happened.

That’s when I discovered that my husband of 30+ years has been cheating on me. I cycled through shock, grief, anger, and more, but even in the earliest days, I knew I wanted a divorce. So over the past few months, I’ve contacted a lawyer, found a new apartment, and have been making preparations for The Big Move.

The first thing I plan to do after I get settled is get back to writing.

NotMansfieldPark

Writing, writing, writing…

Once upon a time, I like to think I wrote decent prose at a decent pace. That’s not the case these days, and especially not with this novel.

So. Latest update. I accomplished some long overdue admin work for the project. The synopsis now matches the revised plot. Instead of three or four files with plot notes, I have one. And I finally dove into new prose territory. A new chapter, chapter 7, is now complete, I have a clear(er) picture for chapter eight, and the middle section is finally coming into focus.

Current word count: 20K
Goal: 80K

Onward.

Uncategorized

Spring? Srsly?

In theory, Spring has arrived.

Um, not from where I can see. Our daffodils finally bloomed, yes, but our shrubs and trees are still mostly bare. And the wind! My gods, the wind. One day we have temps in the 70s, the next the wind howls around the house and we’re back to heavy jackets. The cats, they are not pleased. They have lodged many loud complaints. (See this pic of a very disgruntled Octavia.)

A Very Disgruntled Octavia

But hey, next week will be warmer. And I plan to spend time with the cats outside on our dock, watching the muskrats play and enjoying the sun. Oh, and working on my current novel, which is going very well, thank you.

Fig On The Dock
NotMansfieldPark, Personal

A Life of Miscellany…

So, so, so.

Years ago, when I first started this blog, I’d talk about my writing progress, but these past two years have been…different. The obvious reason is/was COVID. My own “mild” case left me with brain fog for over a year, and however necessary, the lock-down didn’t help. At the same time, I’d retired from my 40-year career as a software developer, and I am still working through the transition from highly structured days to ones where I don’t need to wake up early, or work until late. This led to me watching LOTS of shows on Netflix and Amazon Prime. (I highly recommend both Inspector George Gently and Balthazar.)

But that’s okay! It’s okay to relax, to watch shows or read a good book while the cats take turns on my lap.

The trick is to not lose track of what else matters to me.

Family matters.

Self care matters.

Writing matters.

Family means spending time with my beloved spouse. Going out on date nights. Planning a very relaxing vacation in July. Giving hugs and kisses at random times. Making each other laugh. Being partners. I’m a very lucky person to have this man in my life. (Sadly, this paragraph didn’t age well.)

Self care…You could say relaxing on the couch is part of that, but it also means sitting outside in the sun. Making my personal spaces a joy to inhabit. Remembering to breathe. To be kind to myself.

Which brings me to writing. The writing’s been slow and, alas, not so steady, over the past three months. NotMansfieldPark reached the 33K mark when things stalled, so I took a step back and reviewed both the manuscript and my plot notes. Did more research. More brainstorming. Pinned down the magic system. Worked out more details with the characters and–most important–how all this fits together. I’m now working through the existing text to add those new details and to update the plot to match. I’m also giving myself smaller daily goals to build up momentum. As I tweeted the other day, Writing this novel is important for me, and that’s reason enough to finish it.

Year In Review

Exit 2021, Pursued by a Bear

What a year, oh what a year.

And that was just January.

Usually, with these year in review posts, I write about the highs and lows in my personal life and my writing. Between COVID and the alt-right, the world has changed in terrible ways, and I don’t have the spoons to summarize the year in any detail. Y’all lived through it, too, after all. Suffice to say that I’m still here, and I’m glad you are too.

For all that, I did manage to release new editions for both The Time Roads and my River of Souls books. And while I didn’t actually finish a first draft of NotMansfieldPark, I did reach the 30K mark and I’ve ironed out a huge number of important plot points and character arcs for the rest of the book. (Yes, it’s expanded from novella to novel. Are we surprised?) And in the waning hours of December 31st, I had some important epiphanies about myself.

So. About this new year. Here are the gentle goals I’ve set for myself:

  • Finish NotMansfieldPark. Really. For sure. And by finish, I mean write the complete draft and make at least one editing pass.
  • Be kinder to myself.

To all of you, I wish you joy and love in the New Year, and may 2022 bring us all what we need.

Personal

Blessed Be…

…my friends and family. Wishing you comfort and joy this winter season and throughout the coming year.

Janet Watson Chronicles, Promotion, River of Souls, The Time Roads

Holiday Gifts (aka, Shameless Self Promotion)

Looking for holiday gifts for family and friends? Shopping for yourself? Consider a few of my books…

Passion Play

Epic fantasy. Magic. Multiple lives. My River of Souls stories include not only the eponymous trilogy itself, but also the prequel duology Mage and Empire, as well as several related shorter works, Thief of War, River of Souls, and Nocturnall.

Therez Zhalina is the daughter of one of Melnek’s most prominent merchants. Hers is a life of wealth and privilege, and she knows her duty—to marry well and to the family’s advantage. But when Therez meets the much older man her father chose, she realizes he is far crueler than her father could ever be.

She decides to run. This choice will change her life forever.

A Study in Honor

Science fiction. Political thriller. No Unnecessary Men. The Janet Watson Chronicles.

Set in a near future Washington, D.C., a clever, incisive, and fresh feminist twist on a classic literary icon—Sherlock Holmes—in which Dr. Janet Watson and covert agent Sara Holmes will use espionage, advanced technology, and the power of deduction to unmask a murderer targeting Civil War veterans.

“Readers who pick this up for the novelty of Watson and Holmes as black women will be impressed by how well O’Dell realizes them as full, rich characters. This is a real treat for fans of Conan Doyle and SF mysteries.” — Publishers Weekly

The Time Roads

Alternate history. The Time Roads is a series of linked novellas about mathematics, murder, and time.

As the young queen Áine Lasairíona Devereaux takes the throne, Europe hovers on the brink of war. In a series of braided stories, Claire O’Dell has created a tale about a queen who seeks to guard her kingdom, and the brilliant Éireann scientists who strive to conquer the nature of time.

“Different and cunning, The Time Roads serves up history too magical, too thoughtful, and too explosive to be dubbed merely ‘alternate.’” —Cherie Priest, author of The Clockwork Century series