In 1996, I wrote a novel called Deep Freeze. It was a great idea, but a mediocre execution.

"Hottest day of the year in the American South, 215 degree global temperature drop, one guy doesn't get cold."

It was a commercial story and I wanted to write it like a commercial writer, for example Michael Crichton or Dean Koontz (even though I'm only marginally interested in either.) Time has shown me I'm more like Jack Finney or Richard Matheson - pulp, but with a literary bent. Now, seven years and 5 books later, I decided to go back and see if I could fix Deep Freeze.

The first person narrative was an absolute requirement, because the protagonist is such a self-absorbed jackass. However, first person is tricky because you have to write like the character and not like the writer. This meant that in his first incarnation, as an English teacher, he told his story through almost all dialog. In this draft, he's hack mystery writer researching a book. This helped immensely. I also raised his age from 29 to 40 to make his relationship woes more desperate. It's a mid-life crisis in the form of weather.

The themes of "testing" and "powerlessness" are now more prevalent. Some readers felt Deep Freeze was a disaster novel, an Irwin Allen type thing, but it really wasn't. Though there is a long wind up before the pitch, the story is about people and not global action.

I've changed a few characters names, cut some scenes, made the sensory details richer, and basically classed up the joint. Now I don't have to be ashamed of it.

In April, I met with a big NYC literary agent who asked about the book because the story sounded cool, but I was just way too embarrassed of the '96 version to hand it over. With Four Seasons In One Day, I could have it read without apologies.

Having said it's better, I must also say it's not that innovative. It's a completely linear, commercial story. The Audrey Green books are a whirlwind - smart and, in my humble opinion, one of a kind. This book, not so much. Doesn't mean it's not good, though.

PS - Just so you can see the difference, I'm posting an excerpt that is the same chapter posted for the original version of the novel.