So far edits are complete for the first three books in the thriller series. Book three is out of rough draft phase and on to the “what the hell did I just write?” phase.
Very loosely looking at a July release for books one and two with an August release for book three. Could be August / September. Lots going on here.
I enjoy the part where I take a rough draft and shine it up… The finishing. The top coat. Tease out the story from all the ideas. Part exploration, part investigation, it’s a reminder how stories are everywhere if you just look hard enough.
Our new-to-us but old-to-the-world house is in great shape for it’s age. But there’s plenty to be done along with countless tales worn into every crack, crevice, and surface.
We refinished the floors in the living room this weekend. Each room’s hardwood has a different treatment. Some painted, some stained, some varnished – all different techniques and styles used over the years by different owners.
The living room is likely pumpkin pine – gorgeous old boards with a golden, sunny look. The process for teasing out that color has it’s own fascinating story. A generational epic involving Royalists and Revolutionaries. Trees marked by Kings and the spirited commoners willing to steal them.
Originally, the tallest and best Eastern Pines were reserved for British royalty. They would often be used as masts for the Royal Navy, a key component of Britain’s dominance of the seas at the time. King’s men overseeing the colonies would mark these trees for royal use only.
Cue the rowdy revolutionaries who decided to make floors from these auspicious trees.
Since these marked trees were the biggest, best trees they could produce massive boards. These individual boards could be wider than a foot and run the length of entire rooms or even homes. Stored in attics and lofts under layers of hay, the boards slowly aged. Their caretaker would turn them every so often until they had just the right patina.
(I’m also not sure if the storage method didn’t have something to do with the fact that they were technically contraband.)
Producing these boards was a multi-generational process, the final product often not seen in use by the original collector. A story that marinated for generations before becoming my living room floor. One worth preserving.
If only I had that kind of deadline….
I guess what I’m saying is, I should probably get back to writing these books.
Categories: Blog
RUSS LINTON 
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