book four

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THE CATALYST Update – September 22

Happy Autumnal Equinox! A day of equal night and day, when the sun rises due east and sets due west…and when THE CATALYST has been sent off to my editor for round one.

I’ve also sent the book’s info to my cover artist to get the cover started. I can’t wait to see what they come up with. It’s a jaw-dropping surprise every single time.

There are only three months left in 2016. I’m not sure that’s enough time to get this book finished but I’m going to be as hard-headed as TB and as calmly optimistic as Liv and power ahead believing I can still get it published this year.

Progress of THE CATALYST
First Draft: Complete (102,494 words)
My revisions: Complete (103,808 words)
Professional editing: Starts Monday
Proofreading: Not started
Formatting: Not started
Final proofread: Not started
Cover art: Started, first drafts due in 14 days

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THE CATALYST Update – August 28

I’m almost finished with my revisions. Starting today I’m taking a break to get some distance from the book before I go back in for the final changes. I also started working on the back cover blurb. It’s coming together, one version morphing into another until I finally have a version I can work with. I have less than a month before the manuscript is due to my editor.

Progress of THE CATALYST
First Draft: Complete! (102,494 words)
My revisions: About 90% complete
Professional editing: Not started
Proofreading: Not started
Formatting: Not started
Final proofread: Not started
Cover art: Not started

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THE CATALYST – First Draft Complete

I wrote the final words to THE CATALYST’s first draft moments ago. This is mostly due to me writing over 1,900 words in one night which is crazy. I think I went through a time warp or something.

Revisions start immediately, from page one to the end, and will be completed by mid-September. That’s almost two months I have to really make this book shine! Then it goes to the editor so she can rip it to shreds. And set it on fire. Then throw it into a black hole. And when it comes out of that black hole I’ll be like, “What is this, a book? Oh, I’ve read this before but it was kind of crappy. Now it’s pretty darn good. Who wrote this? OMG I DID.”

Progress of THE CATALYST
First Draft: Complete! (102,494 words)
My revisions: Just started (0% complete)
Professional editing: Not started
Proofreading: Not started
Formatting: Not started
Final proofread: Not started
Cover art: Not started

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THE CATALYST Update – May 30

I’m still averaging about 10,000 words per month for this book. Pitiful! But at least it’s getting done.

The good news: I think it only needs about 30,000 more. And then a heck of a lot of editing and rewriting which usually adds more as I fill out the scenes. That should put it right at the same word count as books 1 and 2.

TB’s character arc is almost complete. He just won’t stop. Keeps coming back, bringing more trouble. Just doesn’t want to quit. At times I’m like, “Stop! I’m done with you!” But I have a real soft spot for him. It’s going to be very hard to say goodbye to him when this series is finished.

In other news, THE ALIGNMENT’s cover is getting some love over at The BiblioSanctum:

This cover asks you step into a fictional land, to leave the world behind and live somewhere fantastic and unknowable, to use your imagination to be the master of the stars for just a little while.

Many thanks to The BiblioSanctum. I wish I could take credit for that cover, but my only contribution to the design was something along the lines of, “stars and mountains and stuff?” :)

Anyway, check out the rest of that blog. Their reviews are great, and I’ve found many books to add to my TBR thanks to them.

Progress of THE CATALYST
First Draft: In progress, about 64% complete (77,102 words and counting)
My revisions: Not started
Professional editing: Not started
Proofreading: Not started
Formatting: Not started
Final proofread: Not started
Cover art: Not started

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THE CATALYST Update – April 21

There are too many characters in this book and they’re all out of control. If I could kill a few of them off my life would be a lot easier.

Progress of THE CATALYST
First Draft: In progress, about 54% complete (65,329 words and counting)
My revisions: Not started
Professional editing: Not started
Proofreading: Not started
Formatting: Not started
Final proofread: Not started
Cover art: Not started

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THE CATALYST Update – March 17

I think I need to retitle this book PROBLEMS. I’m at 53,751 words and wow, there are problems. Problems on top of problems giving birth to problems. I’m not sure who’s going to resolve them all.

Wait, what? It’s up to me? In about 70,000 words or less? *runs*

Progress of THE CATALYST
First Draft: In progress, about 44% complete (53,751 words and counting)
My revisions: Not started
Professional editing: Not started
Proofreading: Not started
Formatting: Not started
Final proofread: Not started
Cover art: Not started

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THE CATALYST Update – February 17

On Monday night I broke 40,000 words on the first draft of THE CATALYST. That’s one-third of the way there!

I took last night and tonight off because I can’t figure out what these characters are trying to do. Liv isn’t making any sense and TB is just staring angrily at the wall. I know the next thing that has to happen. It’s pretty important, but it can’t happen until something happens before it and I’m not sure what that thing is.

Now I think *I’m* not making any sense. I should just stop talking and start staring angrily at the wall. I think TB has the right idea.

Anyway, it’s all been put on the back burner to simmer. It just needs time to work itself out. After two nights away I can feel it forming. Just now I got a hint of what’s going to happen and jotted a few notes in my little yellow memo book in my nightstand. By tomorrow it should be ready to come out.

Progress of THE CATALYST
First Draft: In progress, about 33% complete (41,016 words and counting)
My revisions: Not started
Professional editing: Not started
Proofreading: Not started
Formatting: Not started
Final proofread: Not started
Cover art: Not started

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THE CATALYST Update – January 22

The Irish dictionary has returned to my desk. Last night I wasted lots of precious writing time in a rabbit hole of words. But, it has to be done.
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See all those books propping up that dictionary? That’s research I have to do about something I can’t tell you about because it would be a spoiler. Because it is big. Gonna change things. And last through the rest of the series. I have no idea how to write the massive things it will affect. It kind of scares me.

I’m at about 26,000 words now. Moving at a crawl the last couple weeks because the flu has been running its course through two children and now one man. And I’m pretty sure I’m next.

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About Book Four

I’m 5,200 words (about 2 chapters) in to THE CATALYST (book four of THE ALIGNMENT SERIES). It’s a rough 5,200 words that will be fine-tuned later in my revisions stage.

I’ll admit this now that I’ve worked past it: I was afraid of this book. Every time I start a new book I convince myself I don’t know how to write. That the books I’ve already published were some kind of temporary insanity that I’ve overcome, and due to that, have lost the ability to write. The reality is that the insanity is permanent. Good news for readers! Maybe not such good news for me. But the only cure is writing, so that’s what I’m doing.

I have 31 pages of notes and already-written scenes. I’ve finished the beginning and I know the end. The work is what comes in the middle. Right now I have no idea what the bulk of that is. I know TB has a serious character arc in this book, the finality of it, really. And Liv? She’s got issues too. Probably the most issues she’s had yet. And I’m very glad to be writing present tense again. I’ll be even more glad when I can get past the first couple chapters. TB is showing his bad side, and it is…not good.

Updates won’t be frequent for the next several months. Just know that I am writing as fast as I can. I hope to make book four the best book yet.

THE CATALYST (The Alignment Book Four) coming in Autumn 2016.