Bookcast Episode 99: Words Complete! Return from Intermission

I'm back!
After a short break, I'm thrilled to share some exciting news with you all in my latest Bookcast episode. First and foremost, Calculated Risk is officially done! I came in at just over 40,000 words and I'm so excited about this project, which will be part of a group release in 2025. This episode is a brief overview of my writing process and I also give you a sneak peek into Calculated Risk, sharing the blurb and introducing my characters, Imani and Desmond. You can find even more teasers on my Substack (author dlwhite.substack.com).
Beyond the book, I catch you up on my October reading challenge (I hit 169 books!), my upcoming appearance at the Snellville Book Festival (November 9th), and my thoughts on the upcoming election. It's a relaxed, Sunday morning chat filled with updates and personal reflections. I'm looking forward to sharing more full episodes soon, including (maybe) a holiday short story!

Hope you enjoy! Leave comments and messages of love at my website- Booksbydlwhite.com/bookcast/99 or my substack - author dlwhite.substack.com.

Transcript

00:00:16 DL White 

Well, hello friends and lovers, new and seasoned listeners of the bookcase. 

00:00:24 DL White 

People who may have just heard of me or have known me for a long time. Hi, how are you? I've had this little podcast for about four years now, and I took a bitty break because. 

00:00:40 DL White 

Fourth quarter at work because I was writing a book. 

00:00:47 DL White 

Because election season, because it's October, it's seasonal affective disorder. Hashtag self-care. I needed a little bit of a break and so I stepped away for a mow. But I'm back today won't be a full-fledged episode because if I stop to plan. 

00:01:07 DL White 

Everything out and scripted out the episode. I just will not do it because I don't really feel like doing all that. But I did want to pop in super quick with good news, a little bit of a review of the month. I think it's been about a month ish since I posted an EPI. 

00:01:25 DL White 

So I was actually not too worried about it. I'm here when I'm here. I'm not when I'm not. But I did wanna, like, stick my toe back up in this podcast thing. 

00:01:38 DL White 

I'll try to have a full episode up next week now that things are a little bit more settled for me, but I did want to like catch up, so we'll do a super quick episode this week, full episode next week, but. 

00:01:54 DL White 

The best news is that I hit words complete on calculated risk last night. Late last night. I actually did the final chapter and then I was like, let me just roll around in these ideas for an epilogue. And so I kind of pounded out the epilogue super quick. 

00:02:14 DL White 

I'm going to let it rest for a moment for a bit and then go in with, like, my carving knife and just slice away the fat. 

00:02:23 DL White 

UM, pump up my sentences, beautify the writing, get rid of some repetition. There's a lot of times, like when I'm writing. I just need to get it on the page. I can edit it once it's on the page, so I edit so I I write it. 

00:02:40 DL White 

I let it sit, let it marinate, let it, like, get all up in my senses, and then I go back once I've had a little bit of distance and I'm able to pull all. 

00:02:50 DL White 

Of the Oh my God. 

00:02:52 DL White 

All of that emotion out of the. 

00:02:54 DL White 

Next and then I can like go in and I'm just vicious with the editing knife. And then I send it over to my illustrious. 

00:03:03 DL White 

Editor Kai and then she tells me. 

00:03:07 DL White 

Where I done messed up at? 

00:03:10 DL White 

It makes it so I don't look stupid out in these streets, you know what I'm saying? So I'm very, very excited. I ended up at about 40,000 words and my limit is 45,000. This is a project that's going to be part of a group project in 2025, which I'm hype, hype hyped about. I'm very excited. I wish I could release this like the second. 

00:03:31 DL White 

It's done, but I can't. But it's good. I really, really like it. So I hope that you all will enjoy it. I'm gonna pull up the blurb. That's sort of. 

00:03:43 DL White 

It's a work in progress, so this will likely change, but this is the idea that I had for it. I put up a little teaser. It's really like the first part of Chapter 1 where you get to meet Imani. Imani Thatcher is my heroine. 

00:04:03 DL White 

I'll do another tease on Tuesday where you get to meet Desmond, my hero, and I'm just going to start slowly rolling out the. 

00:04:13 DL White 

The. 

00:04:15 DL White 

I guess all the details, all the information working on the blurb, I'm not going to release my cover quite yet because I don't know when I can release. 

00:04:24 DL White 

It's weird. It's weird not being in control. I don't. I don't like it, but I'm also really hoping that I have a wider reach. Being part of this group project. So fingers crossed for me, but I will let you guys know if I have any opportunity to do advanced reader copies or giveaways or anything like that. 

00:04:44 DL White 

But here's my blurb, it's a work. 

00:04:46 DL White 

In progress. 

00:04:48 DL White 

Imani's world is turned upside down when her lover suddenly dies and she discovers he had been married the entire time they were together. 

00:04:56 DL White 

Reeling from the deception, she attends his funeral, looking for closure, only to be confronted by Julian's widow. 

00:05:03 DL White 

And Monty realizes she barely knew the man she thought she loved, looking to pick up the pieces. Imani reluctantly agrees to teach financial literacy at a youth center as part of a work requirement. There she meets the ruggedly handsome director Desmond, whose steely guard of his past intrigues her immediate. 

00:05:22 DL White 

Despite their very different backgrounds, Imani and Desmond share an undeniable connection, but Desmond remains wary, still haunted by the injustices of his past. As their feelings grow, Imani helps Desmond heal old wounds. He introduces Imani to his world, and she shows him that grace can come from forgiveness. 

00:05:42 DL White 

However, just when the future looks bright, outside forces threaten all they've built will the risks they took on lead? I'm sorry? Will the risks they took on love lead to healing or more heartbreak? So I did put up a little teaser Tuesday on my sub stack. It's author dlwhite.substack.com. 

00:06:02 DL White 

I believe it is the main post on the page, but it's very easy to find if you land on the page and don't see. 

00:06:08 DL White 

If you are interested that post is up, I'm super excited for people to get to know Imani and Desmond. Also LinkedIn there is my Pinterest Board for calculated risk so you can see who my inspirations are, who I'm looking at when I'm writing Desmond, who I'm looking at when I'm writing Imani Super, super excited about this book. 

00:06:28 DL White 

And I am happy to be done. I don't know how long it took me to write it about. 

00:06:34 DL White 

I'm going to open up dabble and see if it will tell me when I started writing it. 

00:06:42 DL White 

More than 30 days, I believe, because I think I started like early September. 

00:06:55 DL White 

I can't really tell. 

00:06:58 DL White 

But it's been. 

00:07:00 DL White 

6 to 8 weeks I would say, which is for like a short ish project where I don't have to do a lot of research. 

00:07:06 DL White 

That's about average. I am in the document. 

00:07:10 DL White 

Right now just. 

00:07:11 DL White 

Looking at it just just looking at it, I know my fellow writers understand. 

00:07:19 DL White 

Understand where I'm coming from. I just like I I I'm going to be at the Snellville Book Festival on November 9th. If you are a local, come see me. Bring book money and you're hugging arms. I will be there 2:50. But I ordered some books to sell and I just like I'm just sitting here looking at this big old box of books. 

00:07:39 DL White 

Looking at them just just looking at them, I have some books that are on my night stand, my books on my night stand, and I just. 

00:07:46 DL White 

I just be looking at them like I understand how my mom is so proud of me cause I'm so proud of me anyhow, so the book is done. Fourth quarter is 4th, quartering at work like fourth quarter is rough in our world, so we are kind of just diving in. There's just a lot of meetings. 

00:08:07 DL White 

A lot of off site meetings, not for me, but for the people that I need to set meetings with. And so I'm literally squeezing a 30 minute meeting in between like business plan reviews and site visits and you know, all these meetings that have to happen. 

00:08:24 DL White 

So it's stress stress, but things are looking OK rolling into November, I went to vote last weekend. We have early voting here in Georgia, it opened October 14th and I voted the weekend. So like the 19th or something like that, very excited to have that behind me. And now I can like. 

00:08:46 DL White 

Chill so. 

00:08:50 DL White 

We just are just going to chill and wait for the numbers to roll in. We are optimistic, cautiously hoping for the best. But you know what happens, happens, we still we rise, you know, no matter what happens, we shall overcome. 

00:09:10 DL White 

But we're hoping for the best situation, which is for me and my house, my family, my life, my friends, the life that I live is a democratic White House and a Democratic Congress. So. 

00:09:25 DL White 

Fingers crossed, everybody. I hope that you have had the opportunity to vote if it's open and if it is not, you have made a plan to go to vote. 

00:09:35 DL White 

On Election Day, make sure your loved ones have an opportunity to vote. Make sure that people in your community that may need assistance getting to the polls make sure they can get there. So super, super excited. I live with the person who is. 

00:09:52 DL White 

Immune challenged. And so we're talking about if she's going to go vote, are you going to go in person? Are you going to, you know, what are you? What are you? Are you going on Election Day? You know she can't be standing for hours on end. And I heard it said that lines haven't been long in years. I I don't know that I believe that. 

00:10:12 DL White 

Because Cobb County be having some long, long lines. But. 

00:10:15 DL White 

Umm. 

00:10:16 DL White 

Yeah, so voting is done. Work is good. The book is done. And I have been reading. I haven't been reporting on my reading. I'm not going to review all my reads, but I am super excited about October this year. I'm excited about Gloctkober, I don't think my reads this year have been as. 

00:10:36 DL White 

Interesting as they have been in previous years, but. 

00:10:41 DL White 

You know, I'm. I'm, I'm. I'm still trying to make it. Do what it do. I am at 123-4567 reads and then there's a there's an Amazon collection called busy Bodies and I think there's six books in that collection. They're like short like hour, hour and a half listens. 

00:11:01 DL White 

So I just counted them all as one. 

00:11:05 DL White 

Which brings me to let me look at my total for the year. I am at 169 books read in in 2024. My goal is 200. I am 5 books ahead. Right now. I have currently three books. 

00:11:24 DL White 

In progress, really only one book in progress, but I got two books on the back end that are are coming up for me to listen to. 

00:11:34 DL White 

So. 

00:11:35 DL White 

I'm going to be busy through the end of October and these books are going to close out my Gloctkober reads. 

00:11:43 DL White 

I'm currently reading Heaven sent Cordoba Agency number six by my good friend and yours Delina diamond. The Cordoba Series is probably my favorite series from her. It's assassins. 

00:11:56 DL White 

It's like handsome, sweaty, swarthy heroes and one assassinate no lady assassin. I love me. A lady assassin. So the latest in that series is out. I'm like 30% in. It's so good so far. And then I have. 

00:12:16 DL White 

Coming up beyond reasonable doubt by Robert Dugoni, who I discovered last year and blew through all of his books. So. 

00:12:23 DL White 

Good. And then, uh, what have you done by Sherri Lapina or Lapenna however you want to pronounce it? That just popped up on Libby and I was like, let me go ahead and grab that cause I can count it for Gloctkober So those were round out like Gloctkober,reads, I'll actually. 

00:12:43 DL White 

Me. Look at the ones that I have read. Missing white woman by Kelly Garrett really enjoyed that Melinda Lee track her down. I'm Melinda Lee Stan. 

00:12:54 DL White 

Surprisingly, I have really enjoyed a James Patterson novel, but I I'm chalking this up to actually the the Co writer like I think his name is David Ellis. What was this book? Lies he told me. I can't remember what it was about, honestly. 

00:13:14 DL White 

So much has been going on, but I do know that I enjoyed it, and then the busybodies series, uh, namely 1 lucky subscriber by Kelly Garrett really wanted to read that, but I enjoyed all of these books in this. 

00:13:27 DL White 

Action. And then I got into a little Mia Hopkins series about ex cons, who just got out of jail. And when you recalculated risk, you will understand why I'm all up in this ex-con business. Thirsty and trashed by Mia Hopkins is. 

00:13:47 DL White 

Books one and two and a three book series about three brothers who incarcerated, and they get out of prison and their struggles with reentry, etcetera, and so on. Pretty darn good. I'm actually thinking about picking up the third book, which I said I wasn't going to do, but I can't stop thinking about them. So I. 

00:14:07 DL White 

I think I'm. 

00:14:07 DL White 

Going to have to go ahead and get it and then things we do in the dark by Jennifer Hillier. I read this very early in October. I don't remember what it was about. I would remember if I looked at the blurb, but like just looking at the cover, I don't know, I'd be reading, I I'd be reading a lot of stuff, so. 

00:14:24 DL White 

That gives me something 1212345678. If you count all the busy bodies as a. 

00:14:36 DL White 

As one book, I just didn't want it to take over my whole challenge, so I just counted them all as one. So October will be full, and then we're moving into nonfiction November, and I have some good reads picked out to. 

00:14:52 DL White 

Talk about for not to talk about it, to read for November. I don't even know how. I think I have, like, 22 books on my list and a lot of them are like, like, like, scandalously, investigative reporter, really, which I really enjoy. I'm like, I've been talking to one of my director at work and. 

00:15:12 DL White 

He just he's just reading these books about, I don't know, like World War. 

00:15:16 DL White 

Who? And he said, oh, that's really good. No, it's not. That's not good. I'm like, that's not the kind of nonfiction I'd be reading. Well, he he just he loves like a like, you know, like a Revolutionary War. 

00:15:17 

It's like. 

00:15:17 

It's. 

00:15:30 DL White 

Uh book something about World War 2. Something about Germany. What? Ohh Sir, please go away. Please get away from me with that. But we did have a riveting conversation about the Menendez brothers and how those dudes are about to get out. 

00:15:47 DL White 

On parole. And let me just tell you I was alive when that case I watched that case happen and. 

00:15:59 DL White 

I am not in agreement with those dudes getting out on parole like it. My opinion doesn't matter clearly what's going to happen. It's going to happen, but. 

00:16:08 DL White 

I am looking at people who were not alive when this case went down, feeling sorry for these men. If you were a lot like these murders were gruesome and like, way, way past I I just. 

00:16:27 DL White 

Listen, don't get me started. Don't get me started, but I have not watched the Menendez brothers. That movie that's on like a fictionalized. 

00:16:40 DL White 

Ah. 

00:16:40 DL White 

Depiction of their story. I watched the trial. I read the transcripts. 

00:16:50 DL White 

Yeah. Anyway, there's that. There's Susan Smith who's trying to get out on parole. And I just. I just want y'all to know she is not safe out here. She needs to stay in jail. Her and Yolanda Saldivar not safe anyway. What am I talking about? I am on a podcast about books and writing. So I did a little bit of catch up. 

00:17:13 DL White 

Talked about Gloctkober,B talked about calculated risk and how it's done. 

00:17:19 DL White 

And it's Sunday morning. I just made coffee and I have some bagel minis that I toasted. I've got my my 40 ounces of water sitting right here. I am ready for a restful and relaxing Sunday. I'm going to finish. 

00:17:38 DL White 

Delaney Diamonds have been sent their Cordoba Agency number six and 30% in. 

00:17:45 DL White 

Gotta get it in. I don't know if I'm gonna do that. Mia Hopkins book today. I'm thinking about it, but I like. I might just ****** it up and, like, listen to it at work this week. 

00:17:56 DL White 

And then I have that Robert Dugoni I want to start because I did have an arc for that, but I was waiting for the audio, so I do need to listen to it and get it reviewed for net galley. 

00:18:09 DL White 

I think I'm ready to get off this mic and get my Sunday started, so I thank you so much for joining me for this brief. 

00:18:18 DL White 

Catch up after my intermission. 

00:18:22 DL White 

Can't promise I'll be back every week, but uh, I am trying to get back in the habit because I do really enjoy doing the podcast. I love talking to you all, but like the habits that I have set up to be prepared for this podcast, just wearing me out just it was just wearing me out and so I took a bitty break. But now I'm back. 

00:18:43 DL White 

And fingers crossed for a full episode next weekend, we'll talk about all the books I read in October, we'll talk about. 

00:18:52 DL White 

Books that might be upcoming. I currently do not have any in mind like I like. I always have like tickler files, but we'll see. We'll see what's coming in 2025. I do. I do. I do want to do a little holiday short, new splash to my. 

00:19:12 DL White 

Editor last year I shoved home for the holidays in her face in like. 

00:19:19 DL White 

Mid-december and I said hey. 

00:19:24 DL White 

Could you? 

00:19:28 DL White 

Could you do a quick edit for? 

00:19:30 DL White 

Me and. 

00:19:30 DL White 

She's, like, sent to me. So we did two rounds of editing in about two weeks and thankfully that is a shorter project and it wasn't a difficult one, but I'm going to try not to do that to her this year, but I do want to do. 

00:19:45 DL White 

I do want to do a holiday short and then I'm also turning my head toward 2025. It will be my 10 year anniversary as an author. 

00:19:53 DL White 

I've got a special edition of my debut novel on My Mind, and so I'm kind of getting ready for that. As I mentioned, I will be at the Snellville book festival November 9th. If you are local, come see me. I'll be here. I will have the Potter Lake series and then I got a few copies of the Never list. A few copies of. 

00:20:13 DL White 

Rubies and a few copies of dinner at Sam's. 

00:20:16 DL White 

And I don't really have time to get anything else, but if you desperately, desperately need a print copy of something that I might not have, please send me a message. DM me on social media if we're following each other author DL at books by diy.com if you need to shoot me an e-mail and there's a contact. 

00:20:36 DL White 

Come on my website, you have to dig for it, cause people people be spamming me. I don't. I don't. I don't like it being easy to find, but shout me out a holler if there is a print edition of a book that you desperately need and you will be in Snellville, GA on November 9th. I will find a way to get it to you. 

00:20:54 DL White 

Sign it and put it in your hot little hands. That will do it for me. Thank you so much for joining me for today's podcast. I don't know what number podcast is. I think this is episode 99, so books by deanwhite.com/book cast Slash 99 is where you can find this episode and also where you can leave your comments and. 

00:21:13 DL White 

Messages of love. You can also find this podcast on my sub stack. It's author deal white.substack.com. I'll make it easy to find. I will see y'all on the socials. Have a wonderful blessed fantastic week. Happy Halloween. 

00:21:30 DL White 

We'll talk to you next week. Ciao.