If you have Queensryche going through your head right now, you’re my kind of people. That being said, it’s been a bit since I’ve posted here. I got through my doldrums and in the intervening time, I’ve gotten more than a few things on paper.
First and foremost, I crossed the 100K threshold on The Thousand Doors tonight and closed out Act II of the novel. So now we’re moving toward the climax, and I anticipate the chapters will be a bit shorter as we barrel toward the end. Trust will be betrayed, hopes will be crushed, and our heroes will be faced with potentially lifechanging decisions.
In addition to the work on my main project, I also finished two short stories: Empty Chairs at Empty Tables and When One Opens Another Must Close. Both of these deal with things along the edges of the main story, either in the current time or in the past. My intention is to get together 8-10 of these and put them into a collection that will serve to shade in the edges of the main story for those interested in such things. Not to say I won’t also submit them to magazines and anthologies (I originally intended to submit When One Opens to an open call this month but am opting not to do so), but the primary intention is to eventually gather them into a single volume to supplement the Diamond Imperium books.
So now we come to the status of The Sanctuary Lock. I’m still querying it, though that’s slowed down as I’ve already sent it to the majority of agents I have on my list. Some of are still outstanding and the rest have received a ‘thanks but no thanks.’ One of the outstanding ones is my submission to Daw’s slush pile. Yesterday brought a potential light in the darkness on that one, but I don’t want to talk too much about it as it may simply come to naught. All I’ll note is you never know how people you’ve met in the past may offer to help in various ways–even small ones.
If I do opt to go the self-publishing route, a friend who does editing has graciously offered to turn their eye and pen to anything I send their way, which is a definite boon in the process. It will also mean the potential to shift funds to other areas (like cover art and design). Unless I do manage to end up with representation and/or a contract in the next few months, I will likely look going the self-pub route for The Sanctuary Lock while starting the editing process on The Thousand Doors and starting the unnamed third book in the current Diamond Imperium trilogy. I haven’t settled on a name yet, but I do know what the climax will be and why it’s important for the story to peak there. I’ve also already picked out the soundtrack song for one of the POV characters for the third book.
For now, progress continues. In addition to writing, I’m also making sure to devote time to improving my skills on bass guitar as well as working out in my home gym. The latter is the start of a long road, but it’s one that will be worthwhile–especially as I get older.
Regardless, live continues, writing is getting done, and I’m looking forward to sharing it with anyone interested in sharing this world with me.
