I have some early feedback from Bleed on the Sky beta readers. There are some minor issues, but so far nothing that looks like it’ll take more than a day or so to fix. This one’s getting a lot of “fun” and “hard to put down” sorts of comments, but nothing like either the “I really hated the end” or the “best one yet!” I heard about The Secret. So, I guess, it’s a book all right.
The next Owen novel (Flee from the Sky) will be fun to write. I have about 10K words already–most of which I cut from Bleed because it was threatening to become a monster of a book. I had to reshuffle things to create an ending for it…it definitely promises/needs a sequel, but…maybe that’s not a bad thing.
Meanwhile, the privacy book’s coming along. At first I thought it would be a blog post talking about real-world aspects of the computer hackery in Bleed. Then I answered some questions for a friend, thought I might re-use some of that material, and thought I’d write a short book…maybe 12K or so. Well, it’s 13K words so far, and I have lots more chapters to go. Maybe it’ll be 30K when I’m done? It’s an interesting project for me, both intrinsically and because I’m including approximately 79.4 bajillion links. So I can’t just go off into a writing cave–I need a web browser open as I go. And I’m using a second monitor, which is something I’ve never done for fiction. Back when I wrote code for my own company I used four monitors, and could have used more if I’d had more room on my desk. For fiction? I might do better without a monitor at all…which comment now tempts me to do a post on writing processes, ’cause I may have learned a thing or two since the last time I did that, but that post ain’t this post.
Anyway, figuring out a nonfiction writing process is interesting. It’s definitely easier to write than fiction, and I can apparently do it while surrounded by family and friends…instead of, you know, in a back room with the door closed. I figure that’s probably because I’ve written a lot more nonfiction, even if not for publication–or at least not under my own name; I have a couple of funny stories about that–than fiction. So I may be better at it…so far.
I do miss the “daydreaming at the keyboard” aspect of writing fiction, though. The privacy book actually has an outline, and I’m sort of following it.
But…come on. I still think I’ll finish the book within the next week or so. And it’s been less than two weeks since I finished the first draft of Bleed on the Sky. So, you know, maybe it’s okay to have a short hiatus from the fiction stuff.
As far as publication goes…for Bleed, I need to finish the cover, do the ebook and print interior versions, and get it all out there. I may be able to get the ebook out in a week or so, but it’ll take a bit longer for the print version (mostly because I’ll want a mailed proof before I publish the thing, and so far they’ve all been delayed in shipping). I also want to do large-print versions of my novels, but that’s the sort of side project I can do when my brain’s fried at the end of the day.
I’m not sure when the privacy book will get published. Sometime before the end of December? I don’t really have beta readers for this sort of project, and did I mention the 16.435 sextillion links? It’s a bit dense in some ways, though I hope it’s also entertaining. I do think it’s turning out well…we’ll see.
The next project will be fiction…but what sort of fiction? I’ve “narrowed it down” to one of three: the first Destiny novel, the next Owen novel, or my semi-superhero project…which is intended to be the first in a new series. Depends, I guess, on how I feel when I can get started on it. I’m definitely looking forward to the fictioneering, though…
Oh, and I’ll be doing a cookbook for my wife’s farmers’ market business thing. Should be fun. She’ll do most of the writing, but I’ll do a bit of editing and probably all of the formatting/design bits. Not sure when that’ll happen, but it probably won’t be too long. And again, that’s the sort of thing I can do after my brain gets too tired to write, so it probably won’t slow anything else down too much.
I’ll let you know when things get closer to publication. Very soon, I hope.
Meanwhile? Have fun out there!
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