Guess What?!?

I did it. After HOW MANY months of being "almost there" and "seeing progress" and DELETING AND REWRITING THE ENTIRE LAST HALF OF THE MANUSCRIPT... (pant, pant, pant)

I sent it off to my first reader.

Yes, I finally got through the second first draft of the second book in the Citadel Chronicles. I like it. It still needs some work, and a few pieces must be laced up a bit tighter, but it is where it needs to be for now.

As for me, on the other hand, I'm slogging my way through taxes and getting caught up on business things and feeling a sense of loss, because despite all the complaining and brain-draining that goes along with editing and writing, I love it and I miss it.

I used to think the first draft was the easy part, where the material runs fresh from the brain and onto the page, but it is different when writing a series, because a lot of it feels like editing, even on the first draft. Probably because I must mind my previous works in order to retain the continuity between them.

One thing is clear, I need to make more notes of my books, because there are things I'm forgetting and mistakes of that nature are difficult to correct later without losing the wonderful readers who pay attention to those very details.

I'm not complaining... yes I am, but I'll get over it. I love writing too much to let the little things stop me... This time...

LONG Overdue Update!

A VERY long overdue update! I'm rather embarrassed. It has been ages, hasn’t it?

But, the good news is, there is continued progress, albeit slow progress. Things have picked up lately then due to illness, got put back down.

However, it’s looking good for getting out to the first readers by the end of January (or the very first part of February, thanks to this recent bout of gastroenteritis). It has taken so long because I really want to make sure the second book not only blends with the first, but also answers a few questions, as well as sets up a bunch more (because there is already a third volume in the works!) That meant taking the original draft and hacking it up like kindling and tossing quite a lot of it into the culled file (I can never throw stuff away, I just file it). J

Characters, old and new, are shaping up nicely and the plot is cleaning up well.

I’m also looking for a new publisher (which may delay my publishing timeframe a little bit, but should allow me to sell my books at an affordable price).