A Numb Sort of Happiness

I just typed, "The End."

It's not really the end. In some ways, it's still just the beginning. There will be rewrites, line edits, revisions, type-settings, more line edits, typo-checks, more revisions, more edits, formatting, and so forth. There will be times when I love it, and times when I absolutely despise it.

And then it will go out to the reading public, who will also love and despise it. And I can't control one any more than the other.

But for the moment, I'm not going to think about that. I'm going to look (not too closely, 'cause I'm not ready for revisions) at the enormity of this manuscript which is now written. Not finished, perhaps. But written. Beginning, middle, and "the end."

As many of you know, I proclaimed this last week "Crazy Week," because I was determined to meet my deadline and finish this manuscript by the end of October. Would it have hurt anything to creep a little into November? No. Not really.

Well. Maybe actually.

When I sat on the brink of Crazy Week, looking ahead at what all had to be done before I could call this draft complete, I realized something. I would never be ready to write those last chapters. I would never be ready to write that climax or figure out that resolution. It was too big. Too hard. We're not talking epic here. I've done epic. I've done epic in my sleep. I can handle epic.

We're talking cosmic.

We're talking Marduk and Tiamat--but I am no ancient Babylonian poet.

We're talking Paradise Lost--but I am no Milton.

We're talking concepts and images and themes I barely understand, and definitely do not feel qualified to write. So, last Sunday, I faced the big moment: I must either take the plunge, not waiting for that elusive muse of inspiration, and write what I am not prepared to write . . . or I pack up and call it quits.

It's been very tempting many times to call it quits with this book. It's by far the longest and most complicated story I've ever written, aside from that cosmic climax. And besides all of that, this book will be published by a new house. That's right, dear imps . . . I will no longer be a Bethany House author after Shadow Hand, but will be publishing book 7 through a new venue.

And that venue hasn't even been decided yet, nor even a specific release date. I hope to release this story to the reading public by autumn 2014, and if all goes as I currently anticipate, that will still happen. But I don't know. Not for certain. Probably won't know until the end of this year. In the meanwhile, I must wait.

And wait, and wait.

Anyway, all of that to say Crazy Week has come to its end. I have clocked in a total of 35,000 words in one week, which might be a new record for me. Rohan says we should celebrate with cake. I would be all right with that.

Okay, technically, this is still a secret, since I don't even know the release date yet . . . but I really want to celebrate with you guys too! So I'm going to go ahead and give you the title and teaser for this story early:

 

What do you think? Does it look like something you might like to read?