Wherever I Wander

I told myself I wasn’t going to look at anything writing-wise for at least a week or so.

But I’m a big liar, apparently. (I write fiction, so I guess that goes with saying.) Still. I cracked open the 20k I’ve written for BoD3 this morning – partially just to see if I was completely off base with it, and partially to check out that first chapter since I’m going to need it as teaser material for the end of A Sliver of Shadow. (Guess I’m going to need a new title here too, soon. And I still have to title for the series as a whole. Bad, bad author.)

I was actually pleasantly surprised. It’s always a good sign when you run out of pages and you’re like “Why did I stop here?? Where’s the rest?”

Not that it doesn’t need tweaking, but if the first chapter stays where it is, Brystion fans should be at least somewhat pleased. (Nothing like starting out with a bang…literally.)

Still, I’m in a weird place at the moment. I’m already itching to pick it back up, though I want to wait at least a few more days to give my brain a rest. On the other hand, it’s going to be a bittersweet process this time since it’s the last book.

So far.

Not to say that there might not be more, but at the moment, my contract ends with the delivery of this book. I’ll be wrapping up the story arc as best I can, just in case there aren’t any more. And in truth, there may not be any reason to continue with Abby’s story anyway, though there are certainly plenty of other characters in that world that could step into her ballet slippers. (Don’t be surprised if I self-pub some shorter pieces to fill in the blanks, if nothing else.)

But what if it’s done? I’ve got several other stories in my head – some that I’ve started and some that are just percolating, waiting their turn. Most of them have been pushed to the back burner the last year or so, simply because of time constraints and the fact that the paying work has to come first. But in a few months, that won’t be the case any longer. It’s a little scary to think about.

And cool.