I’ve begun the fifth book in my Greenliner’s series, a bit of an escape from Eden, and am knee deep in tutus and plies. As I started generating ideas, I got hooked on the story, to the point that several storylines began to form, none of them planned or wanted. Do I start a new series about ballerinas? Do I incorporate the story about Sacha into my Women of Eden series? Does Gillian bid on her hunky linebacker and win his heart? Should I tell her story as a stand-alone? What does any of this have to do with baseball and how do I rein myself back to focus on the original plot?

The upside is, I’m percolating again, something I haven’t done in a month or so. Stories are formulating, characters are coming alive in my imagination and I’m jotting all kinds of details and facts down to develop them further. I even fiddled around with a cover and titled Sacha’s story On Pointe.

Kelsey Grace is supposed to end of with Rafe Verducci, a catcher for the Boston Greenliners. I’ve had their story in mind for a couple of years and finally got around to telling it. I didn’t expect to hit a landmine of ideas that distracted or rather expanded the field of possibilities.

And my covers. Some people love them, but they don’t exactly pull readers in. Should I be going the couples route like so many of my contemporaries? My stories are about strong women, so splashing a hunky guy on the front of the book wouldn’t speak to that.

There’s a myriad of decisions to be made soon, and I’ll be experimenting with what works and what doesn’t over the next couple of months. Changes are coming. I’m riding the flow as it rises, wondering where I’ll land.

Here’s a copy of what I’ve been playing with for a cover for Sacha’s story. What do you think?