A running start

Do you have any New Year's resolutions as a writer, and what are your plans for 2023

by Dietrich

I’m not in the habit of making New Year’s resolutions, but I do have some plans for the coming year. I’m currently working on two novels. The first one is set in Chicago during the 1920s — hard times and prohibition. I’m deep into a second draft, and it’s starting to feel like I’m on the right track. The characters are at that point where they’re starting to talk back, and that’s always a good sign, right? I plan to have it wrapped up by summer.

The second book is at the conception stage. I’ve got a title in mind, some scribbled notes, a bagful of ideas, and a loose storyline that’s set in the sixties around the emerging folk music scene of the time. It focuses on a budding musician and the corrupt management he falls in with. I’ve got a couple of choices for the location, but I’m not sure about that yet.

Outside of the writing, I’ll be promoting the book I currently have out, Nobody from Somewhere. It goes like this: When long-retired cop, Fitch Henry Haut, sees two men forcing a runaway girl into their vehicle, he steps in and gets the upper hand. He and the girl escape in his broken-down Winnebago, and as Fitch listens to her story, he realizes the men will come after them. A bond forms as he and the girl struggle to escape out of town.

Then there’s the new one, The Get. It’s coming out on June 6th, from ECW Press. Here’s the pitch: Lenny Ovitz has plenty of secrets. He works for a volatile crime boss, is drowning in debt to the wrong people, and he’s certain his soon-to-be ex is aiming to screw him over. Somebody is going to have to get whacked.

On top of the writing, I’m aiming to attend some events and festivals this year, and as soon as plans are set, I’ll post locations and dates on my website: dietrichkalteis.com

I trust that everybody’s New Year is off to a good start, and here’s to ’23 being a banner year for all of us.