"Happy New Year, all! Can a guy still say that two weeks
into the month of January? If not, well then, let me wish you a
special Martin Luther King Jr.'s Birthday, instead.
I know it's been rather quiet over here lately, but that doesn't
mean there isn't a lot going on. It's just that all the stuff I
really want to mention, I can't talk about yet. Such is life.
What I can do is answer the most commonly asked question
of late, which is: when is Book 3 going to be finished? Well, it is.
I finished writing the final scene just a few hours before midnight
on New Year's Eve. A momentous
occasion? So momentous that I was fast asleep by 10 pm. Spent the
next week or so reviewing, and have since shipped the manuscript off
for editing. How long that might take is anyone's guess. It's almost
exactly the same length as Books 1 and 2, so, lots of words to sift
through. If editors were awarded medals, mine would have a vest full
of them already.
I am glad to be finished with that
first step, though. It's been a long, up-and-down year, both in
terms of the book and other projects. Of course, I tend to keep a
pretty even keel through the highs and the lows. You'll seldom find
me pouting, and my celebrations are about as exciting as... well, I
mentioned my magical New Year's, right?
As for what's next, I simply don't know just yet. I've got a
number of things sitting here on my plate, and I'm not quite sure
which I want to sink my teeth into. I'm hoping to spend the next few
weeks catching up on a year's worth of neglect in other areas, such
as family and friends. Hopefully, inspiration will strike somewhere
along the way. In the meantime, any and all requests or suggestions
are welcome.
So, that's where things stand on my end. It's quite the glamorous
life most of us writers lead. We work and we work to complete a
story, and, the moment it's finished, we start getting edgy about
starting the next one. As tedious as it can be to sit in front of
the computer day in and day out, toiling for hours to produce just a
handful of pages, I for one get to feeling restless pretty darn
quick whenever there's a break in the action. At the same time, I
don't want to rush blindly into another story commitment. Boo hoo,
right?
In any case, I hope to have news that is somewhat more exciting
in the near future, and will share it when I can. Until then, I hope
everyone's 2007 started off with a bang, and that the coming months
will bring many pleasant surprises. —
Eldon"