Which book am I most proud of writing?

From the writing desk of Christine Mazurk

Which book am I most proud of writing? That's a tough question to answer, because I've loved writing all of them. For different reasons, of course, but if I had to pick one, I'd have to say my newest release, Mystical Connections.

It seemed to have a mind of its own. All of my stories have taken me on paths I had not foreseen, but Mystical Connections seemed to channel itself through me. How you ask? Let's start with the first draft. I finished it, felt pretty pleased with the content, saved it on a thumb drive, and moved on to edits for Passion's Race.

THEN my computer crashed! Yikes! But I'd saved everything, right? So no worries!

Except when I went to work on Mystical Connections again, I couldn't find it. I searched every inch of my office and the darn thumb drive had just disappeared. Poof, right into thin air. After much angst, I realized that the story needed work, so I started re-writing from scratch.

I felt a kind of peace wash over me.

The words flowed as if someone else controlled my fingers. New threads appeared, weaving themselves into the plotline. New characters, themes, and conflicts rushed at me demanding attention, and I went with them. I let the story unfold naturally, and when I was done, I was amazed at how much richer the story had become. Every little nuance seemed to fall into place, making the story tighter and more emotional.

My agent submitted the manuscript and we began the editing stage. Fast forward to the cover design. The artist sent us the mock-up cover, which we loved, but a glitch prevented us from using it. Another mystical happening? The book telling us it deserved a different cover? As it turned out, yes, the second cover was richer and crisper and seemed to embody the story in a much stronger way.

I'm extremely happy with the final results, and just like Passion's Race, Mystical Connections morphed two more story lines!

So, as soon as I'm finished with Mike Dawson's Story - untitled at the moment - the second in the Passion's series, I'll begin writing Anya's Story for the Mystical series. I have a busy year ahead of me, but I'm thrilled with the images and ideas swirling in my head.

Until next time, hugs - Christine