THE WARRIOR paperback is a go. It will be available on Amazon on December 15, the same day as the Kindle version. Number of physically turnable pages: 536. The proof arrived yesterday and it’s beautiful. This might be my favorite book yet. I’ll have copies ready to sign and ship in the first week of January.
Formatting and final proofreading are now complete. How? I have no idea. It just kind of happened. All we’re waiting for now is my cover artist to finish up. Kindle pre-order info coming very soon!
Progress of THE WARRIOR
First draft: Complete (118,511 words)
My revisions: Complete (119,778 words)
Editing: Complete (120,633 words)
Proofreading: Complete
Formatting: Complete
Final proofread: Complete
Cover art: Front cover complete, back cover in progress
Editing is finished. Files have been sent off for formatting. I really have no idea how this is moving so quickly and easily. Bevan magic maybe? If it is, I hope it’s Sloane’s, not TB’s. Because I refuse to jump off any cliffs into any rivers.
Progress of THE WARRIOR
First draft: Complete (118,511 words)
My revisions: Complete (119,778 words)
Editing: Complete (120,633 words)
Proofreading: Complete
Formatting: Starting soon
Final proofread: Not started
Cover art: Front cover complete, back cover in progress
I sent THE WARRIOR off to my editor about an hour ago. Final revisions added about a thousand words to the count. I could seriously revise and perfect for the rest of my life but at some point I have to call it because I DON’T WANT TO REVISE AND PERFECT THIS THING FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. lol
It’s perfect timing, too, because Penned Con is in one week and I have a couple hundred of TB’s special dissolving cubes to wrap in brown paper and tie with string. Come see me there and you can help yourself to one. ;)
Progress of THE WARRIOR
First Draft: Complete (118,511 words)
My revisions: Complete (119,778 words)
Professional editing: In progress
Proofreading: Not started
Formatting: Not started
Final proofread: Not started
Cover art: Not started
Eight years in the making and this series is finally out of my head. I’ll spare everyone from my squealing. I start a full edit tomorrow.
Progress of THE WARRIOR
First Draft: Complete! (118,511 words)
My revisions: Start tomorrow
Professional editing: Not started
Proofreading: Not started
Formatting: Not started
Final proofread: Not started
Cover art: Not started
The slaughter has begun. What’s on my mind as I finish up this book is how much is too much? Is there a line? A number, a body count? Something concrete that determines when a reader will start thinking the book’s hero/heroine is no longer so heroic?
Hopefully not. Because these last twenty thousand or so words are blood red. Please don’t hate me.
I’m writing as fast and hard as I can, I promise. And trying not to think about how much I’m going to miss these characters when this book is finished.
My guess is one and half more months until I type THE END.
Progress of THE WARRIOR
First Draft: About 82% (89,864 words)
My revisions: Not started
Professional editing: Not started
Proofreading: Not started
Formatting: Not started
Final proofread: Not started
Cover art: Not started
I never knew there could be someone in this series more brooding and conflicted than TB.
Progress is…happening. It’s a lot slower than I want it to be, not because I’m blocked but because I’ve hit a spot where each sentence takes thirty minutes to write. And they’re not even good sentences. A big scene change is about to happen though, and once I get involved in that hopefully words will come faster.
Also to blame? Chigger bites. I have a high tolerance for pain but a nonexistent tolerance for itching. It’s so distracting. I thought these bites had exhausted their payload but then I found THREE NEW ONES. Why?! How?! I think they’re in my yard but I have no idea where, and I can’t really take a shower every time I go outside. I think they wait for me to come out and water my flowers and then they jump on me in the dozens. Twenty-four hours later the bumps develop but the chiggers are long gone. Which means they, what, dropped off in my bed? After feasting on me, unnoticed, for how long? Pardon me while I bathe in fire.
Happy summer solstice, everyone!
Progress of THE WARRIOR
First Draft: About 60% (66,328 words)
My revisions: Not started
Professional editing: Not started
Proofreading: Not started
Formatting: Not started
Final proofread: Not started
Cover art: Not started
It’s almost Beltane and I’m nowhere near where I hoped to be with this book by now. Current word count is 35,589 (goal is 100,000-120,000). I just started chapter 10.
I need to write in more blood and guts because I expected more and there just simply isn’t enough.
My weirdest Google search for this book so far: “alligator death roll.” Coolest research: Škoda Fabia R5. Can’t tell you why because spoilers. :)
Not much else to report other than last books in a series are hard. :/
So. Book five. The big finale. I’m not sure how I’m going to pull it off.
I have 4,558 words written. That’s 18 manuscript pages, almost to the end of the second chapter.
There’s a new character whose head I was afraid to get in. I was worried I’d never connect, that this person was too far away from me to be anything but forced. After writing my way into it, I’m shocked at how alive this character is. Looks like there’s a new star to this series, with a character arc that’s going to be extreme. I’m not sure how I’m going to be able to get through the day with yet another voice in my head.
Like all my books, I know the ending, and I have several bits of plot in the middle that move the story along, so it’s just a matter of writing up to each point until I reach the end. Easy, right?
I’ll post updates about once a month, and I promise to write as fast as I can.
Kay Camden 