So that’s it. It’s done. That time has come.

It’s the end.

After a sequence of the most intense writing periods I’ve ever done, I’ve finished my third novel! What a whirlwind. What a blast.

Assuming that was the last of the edits before being sent off to publishers far and wide later in the year (we have a few more projects to sort out first, wink wink), it’s interesting to see that – though this is my longest novel – it was also the fastest one to write.

Part of this was the extra hours I put in. I have a firm deadline of August, and I needed to make it. So I really did work all hours that I could to get it done. For a long time it looked impossible, but (like always) the end comes upon me suddenly. Like I’m climbing a mountain and I didn’t even know where the top was until I found myself there, looking over a polished story-scape.

But it’s not just the hours I put in.

This time I had a plan. A flexible one, yes. But I kept spreadsheets of everything, which meant when it was time to edit, I could use them to find my way through the chaos. Chapter guides, character descriptions, settings, hooks, mystery lists, unanswered questions… the list goes on. I think my master spreadsheet had about twelve tabs!

And now that it’s done, I feel odd, because for once I’m not in the middle of anything. I’m in the great waiting period, where my fate is in the hands of the publishing gods and I just have to be patient. Find out how I manage the long waiting periods in the publishing world here.

My plan was to finish the book by August, and then have some time for a personal project. A biggy. And then by Christmas or so, I’ll start the next book. I have a few ideas, and it’s going to be a bit of a toss-up between them. Much will depend on submission success over the next few months, too.

Keep your fingers crossed for me. And of course, I send you all love, too.

Speak soon,

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