Author: ruzzella

Lots happening these past eight months for the Rebs.  

Russ is immersed in the all-new experience of rolling out a novel with his publisher, with many production and promotional steps involved.  Ella’s War is drawing early praise and interest.  Available in preorder now.  Release date May 23.

Chris is promoting Air Race, his co-authored thriller novel with bestselling author Andrew Watts, as he works intensely on solo continuation of the Watts characters in the first of a new series.

Dave will soon complete a draft of F-Land manuscript, a novel that follows a Catholic priest in Pennsylvania through the topics of gay clergy life, the drug epidemic, and economic struggles in America.  He is also submitting the first chapter of another work in progress as a short story.

Jennifer is completing final adjustments to her art-heist romantic crime novel to go into production soon with her publisher.  She is working on multiple other projects. 

Our tribute to our passed colleague, John Wirebach –– a revision of John’s crime/detective novel Mean Streets Paris ’44 –– is in submission to a publisher. 

Rebels are always surveying about for just the right next novelist to join our group!

We are still plugging away.  Apologies for the hiatus on this blog but our individual projects have pulled us away.  

Over the last year, Chris has rounded out his Blessid Trauma Crime Scene Cleaner Series, with his novel Zero Island, set in Hawaii, available and doing well, and with his novel 2 Street, set in Philadelphia, which has appeared this summer and is in promotion. In addition, Air Race, his co-authored thriller novel with USA Today bestselling author Andrew Watts, set in the Middle East, is out this month in e-book.  Congrats to Chris.

Dave is continuing work on this F-Land manuscript, a novel that follows a Catholic priest in Pennsylvania through the topics of gay clergy life, the drug epidemic, and economic struggles in America.  He is also advancing this manuscript about a Black youth from the south who comes to Philadelphia to become a charismatic religious leader, based on an actual historic figure.  He is submitting the lead chapter as a short story.

Jackie continues to outline and plan her novel The Kindle, a high-concept character-driven story about a marriage and a haunting, paranormal event that informs the protagonist’s decisions.

Martha remains on extended hiatus and sabbatical from the group, but we hope for her return in the fall of this year.  And we do so look forward to whatever she’s been working on and to reviewing the revised manuscript of her eco-thriller set in Florida.

Russ has been preparing for the 2023 release of his novel Ella’s War, which enters the developmental edit phase with the publisher at the end of this summer.  With invaluable help from his fellow Rebels, he has also completed our tribute to our lost colleague, John Wirebach, with a revision of John’s crime/detective novel Mean Streets Paris ’44, which now enters the pitching/querying phase.  Finally, Russ has started a screenplay/streaming series treatment package and is in discussions about it with his director colleague Alex Steyermark.

More good news!  Jennifer Giacalone joined the Rebels this year.  Jennifer is a communications professional and a previously published novelist.  She has received recognition for her short stories as well.  Her bio coming soon to the homepage here.

Plus, we are meeting in person again in lovely Bucks County!  (Enough with Zoom, already…)  Yay.

Rebels have kept a steady meeting pace since this fall, via Zoom, discussing our work and talking about publishing, with everyone moving their individual efforts forward.

Chris’ new novel Zero Island comes out this month, and he has been working through all the preparations for that.  Congratulations to Chris.  He is discussing arrangements for sequels with his publisher.  He is also co-writing a novel with one of his publisher’s other writers.

Dave continues work on his novel about a black youth in the south who comes to Philadelphia in his adulthood to become a charismatic and controversial religious figure.  Rebels enthusiastically critiqued his revised opening chapter for the book.

Martha has moved to querying stage of her Florida-based novel, A Killing Tide, to which she is also mapping out a sequel.

Jackie has been working on short stories.  She will submit two of them for critique to the group this month.

Russ has excerpted and adapted a chapter of his Native American novel for publication in the fall issue the Bucks County literary journal Neshaminy.  He has embarked on a long-term and major revision of the full manuscript of that novel.  Meanwhile, he continues to query agents and publishers on several other of this completed novel manuscripts.

Finally, since the sad and untimely loss of our friend and fellow Rebel writer, John Wirebach, last fall, the group has discussed ways to pay tribute to John and his writing –– in part through preserving and promoting the projects he was working on.  With that in mind, Rebels are reviewing two of John’s novel manuscripts.  More to come on this!