I am very pleased to say that the first draft of The Wrong Side of Space is finally complete!  This has been, by far, the hardest book in the series to write.  A lot of things are going on and plots introduced in the first two books come to fruition.  I want this book to be loaded with action but also loaded with character development.  It’s a real turning point in the series, which I hope each of you will enjoy.

The book clocks in at over 80,000 words (the exact number will depend on editing) and should translate into about 300 pages.  That’s my sweet spot for novels.  Anything more and it seems like fluff, too much less and I don’t feel like I am giving the reader value for money.

So what’s next?  Editing.  Lots and lots of editing.  Opinions on the quality of the story and characters may vary in my reviews but one thing that is relatively undisputed is that my novels are well-edited.  That will continue.  I’ll start with the first pass and clean up the obvious things while also inserting notes that I want my editors’ opinions on.  Then my chief editor (AKA my wife) will go through the book.  After that first, critical review, I go into rewrites on scenes and add/delete scenes that are needed or unneeded.

Then, it’s released to the other wonderful people in my life for more editing and commenting.  A month later, I get the copies back and make more inputs based on their comments.  When finished, I run through the book again by myself.  After that, both my wife and I pass through the book for more quality control.  At least one pass of mine is using an iPad or my Kindle.  Both my wife and I will also make another run using a printed copy because it’s unbelievable what you can pick up looking at the book through different mediums as opposed to just a computer screen.

When all that is done, the book is usually just a week or so from release.  I’ve hit my release dates (or been early) twice now.  I intend to be three for three.  I’ll update this blog with an actual month and day by the end of February.