A strange thing happened during July and August. At the end of June, I handed over copies of Hero of the Republic to my beta readers. Normally, I ask for their feedback one month from when I give them a book. However, Hero was such a monster that I asked for feedback after two months.

Normally, during this “downtime,” I just sort of relax. I’m usually pretty exhausted writing-wise and I just recharge my batteries while the beta readers are doing their thing. This Summer, however, was different. I’ve been aching to write something a little different ever since finishing the TCOTU series and, after taking just a week off, I found myself back in front of the keyboard. I really didn’t intend to write a book during this period, I was basically just scratching an itch. I honestly thought I would write a few chapters, grow weary (or stuck) and shelve the project.

Scorched took over my life in July and August (in a good way). I absolutely fell in love with the characters, the setting and the story. It was a blast to write. In fact, it nearly wrote itself. Before I knew it, I was engaged in an entirely new novel. It made for a very busy Summer. When Hero came back from the beta readers, it immediately took precedence and we worked very hard to place the finishing touches on the flagship of the Parasite Initiative and ensure it was edited to our usual standards.

After Hero was released, rather than coasting a bit and relaxing, we pushed the peddle down hard and pressed Scorched through the same process that Hero had undergone. The only exception was the number of beta readers. I really hated asking my beta readers to endure a second novel in less than two months, especially considering that Hero was a tome. Consequently, I just asked the female faction of my beta readers, “pretty please, will you read this because it needs a woman’s touch.” I’m grateful that both were willing.

So, now I sit here with a completely new and different novel virtually ready for release. My wife will give it a final pass through this weekend (the length of the novel is almost identical to This Corner of the Universe and it’s a very breezy read). When she is done, I will read it a final time and that will be that. I’m confident in the story and editing; it matches or exceeds the usual standards of our products. So when will I hit Publish on Amazon (and Nook and Smashwords, etc)? I’m not entirely sure. I think I may actually utilize the pre-order process for this book, not because I believe there is this big anticipation for Scorched but to learn more about the process and how it works. It’s a lot better to try pre-order (and mess it up) with Scorched than to do it with Across the Blue Line next year.

Scorched will most likely be available for pre-order starting the weekend of October 22nd. It will most likely release the weekend of November 5th. The only way this changes is if I screw up the pre-order procedures in Amazon.  Stay tuned this week… the next blog post will tell you just what Scorched is about.  In the meantime, check out its great cover, another fantastic job by Yvonne Less at Art4Artists.

Coming in November!