I know, I was going to blog more. Twice a week or so, I said. Well, it’s been busy, but here’s a quick rundown as to why.
I had to take a few days “operational pause” on Lex Talionis to do some re-thinking. As originally outlined, the final chapters were a bit too episodic, as in, “This happens, and then this happens, and then this happens.” Good storytelling ties things together a bit more. It should be more along the lines of, “This happens, which leads to this happening, so then this happens, but then…” The new direction should tighten things up and get it more into the latter model. Still a lot to do; probably 20,000-30,000 words left, which will put it as the longest Praetorian story to date, a title presently held by Hunting in the Shadows, at 148.5k.
Audiobook production on Kill Yuan is about half done, and it’s coming along well. That’s bitten into writing time a little, as well, as I’ve got to review each chapter as Cody finishes and uploads it. But it’s solid. He’s doing a great job.
Somewhere in there, the idea that led to the “New Ideas” post down below began to solidify. I’ve even got the beginnings of the first book put together in my head. Still don’t know exactly when it’s going to fit into the schedule; it’s going to depend on how much I can get done in the next six months, and how Jed Horn #4, Older and Fouler Things, comes together. But look for Brannigan’s Bastards #1 sometime late this year or early next year, as things presently stand.
Now, back to the word mines with me.