Plans

A great weight feels as if it has been lifted off my shoulders. A complete draft of Book 2 has been finished. Prior to selling Nightwalker, I had actually completed a version of Book 2. However, due to changes that were made in Nightwalker and other changes made to the long-term plans for the series, the ending had to be completely re-written.

Now, don't get me wrong. Book 2 still needs some heavy editing, but the process never feels quite as painful as getting the rough draft done. For me, the hardest part is always writing the last couple of chapters. There's so much going on with the main plot, subplots, and balancing all the other characters, that tying it neatly together at the end is always stressful. I'm also very slow about writing that final fight scene.

In the meantime, I'm going to spend the next couple of days plotting out the short story that I have due for next Spring's anthology with Kim Harrison, Melissa Marr, Vicki Pettersson, and Jeaniene Frost. The short story is due to my editor in July, I believe. I know what the story is about, but I haven't completely plotted it out yet.

After the short story has been plotted, I head back in to complete my edits for Book 2. Those I will work on until May. After that, I write the short story. In early June, I hope to complete to the plot outline for Book 3. I have a very broad idea of what happens, what needs to happen, and where the majority of the third book will be set. Currently, Book 3 is due to my editor in mid-October. I imagine that I will finish out the year with work on Book 3 and (assuming I get another contract) Book 4.

Oh, and don't forget to add in the RomanticTimes Conference in April, the RWA Conference in July, the release of Nightwalker, updates to the blog, updates to Mira's MySpace page, and new additions to the web site. It's gonna be a busy year.

Speaking of updates, Mira posted a blog entry yesterday discussing the unique dynamic of the Savannah werewolf pack. Be sure to stop by and check it out.