Happy Middle-of-Summer! I thought I’d sneak in another book update!

After the first major editing pass, the manuscript went from 85K to 185K, which is really more like two novels. My editor and I have agreed on a good point to create a split. So, to my pleasant surprise, there really will be two books on the near horizon, plus whatever I write later to complete the series!

Book 1 will still be called Blood’s Force. I’m still deciding on a title for Book 2.

This is what my work schedule looks like for the foreseeable future. No ETAs for any of this, because I’m horrible at estimating how long it takes to get stuff done. Just trust me that I spend as much time as the task deserves:

1) Make my no-joke, very last editing pass with Blood’s Force. I have a few sections to expand, and the ending has to be reworked to be an “END end” rather than a “end-of-chapter end.” I’ve gotten through 5 of 20 chapters so far. It is STUNNING to know that it’s almost ready for prime time! It’ll be funny to see exactly when I feel comfortable leaving the chapters be, and not constantly picking at them. (Answer: never.)

2) Finalize blurbs, front-and-backmatter, and other copywriting. You know, those few little sentences you have to agonize over because they’re only selling people on the idea of reading your book.

3) Create ebooks and really, actually, holy-crap-are-you-serious publish Blood’s Force. It’ll be available in electronic form first, with as many vendors as I can possibly navigate. It’s still not too late to snag a free copy of the book by signing up for my mailing list!

4) Work on a paperback version of Blood’s Force. This will take more effort to set up than an ebook. While that’s going…

5) Edit Book 2. At minimum, I have to rework the beginning to be the start of a book and not just the start of a chapter. Chances are, there’s a lot more fixing to do. I will probably need two passes and the help of my wonderful editor, RJ Blain.

6) Secure cover art for Book 2. In the works, I hope!

7) Whenever I have spare time, work on a couple of short stories. One will be posted to my website, free for download. The other will be an addition to the Retiring the Gods series, which is exclusive to mailing list readers.

That should keep me busy! Hope you’re having a great summer! Take care!  :)