Status of Starting (the blog that is)

With this blog being all shiny new, I figured a good thing to post is the status of my various novel projects. That way it'll be a good spot to check back on as I make more progress.

My novels thus far come in three flavors, my science fiction related novels, my fantasy trilogy, and my stand alone mainstream novel.

The Science Fiction:
I'm working on the first draft of one of these novels. Each one will have it's own cast of characters, and conflicts, they are only related in the fact they take place in the same "world". There may be a cameo or two of one major character making a minor appearance in another book. I have various notes on the other two books, which I'm holding off writing until I finish then revise the draft of the one I'm working on.

Blurb for the current novel in progress: Federated Planetary year 309, our intrepid heroine finds herself on a distant hostile planetoid keeping the mining machinery running. A few malfunctions she can chalk up to machine wear, but when things start breaking more frequently and not on their own she can’t ignore that someone is determined to stop the machines from running. In the confines of the platform, can she find the saboteur before it’s to late?

The Fantasy:
This one is a series, which may end up with either 2 or 3 books. I know what happens in the first one, seeing as how the first draft is finished, and it leaves the main character in a place for the start of book 2. I know the general conflicts that take place after the first book, but until I plan them out more I'm not sure if it'll be two books worth or not.

Rough blurb: In a land where women are forbidden to use magic, one woman can't keep herself from wondering about the subject. What must it be like to cast spells? Stuck in a job chosen by her family can she find a way to pursue something that interests her?

After I take some time to revise my science fiction novel next year, I'm going to spend more time working with the details of this world. I'll then make notes about where book one needs to be fixed, and write the first draft of book 2, possibly starting in November.

The Mainstream:
Dubbed my "Alternate Romance" I have the first draft of this novel finished and have been working on what direction to take it for the next draft. This started out with the idea of writing a romantic novel from the man's point of view, and part way through the first draft I thought that balancing out both points of view of the two main characters would add more tension. I prefer to think of this as a "slice of life" rather than a genre romance. The relationship is part of the conflict, but it's not the whole conflict for the novel. Once the characters do resolve the relationship conflict, everything isn't all wrapped up in one neat little package. Not to knock the romance genre, but I'm not a fan of the "finding Mr. Right = everything is perfect for the heroine" formula.