Richard Raley's Blog, page 36
May 8, 2015
FM5 Tease #3: King Henry Drives
I hooked a turn into the parking lot with the rent-a-car and slammed on the brakes, barely even skidding out as we came to a stop. GPS navigator said it would take sixteen minutes, I did it in ten. Shows what the fucking computers know. Maybe I went through someone’s yard a couple times to cut some street signs . . . it was an emergency!Ain’t quite a motorcycle with two uzis and a chick in an American flag bikini on my lap, but at least I got to drive for once. Rented car with a nerdy black guy, a patrician with a stick up his ass, and a dead woman . . . I’ll take it!As the car came to a stop, T-Bone gave a little scream—not for the first time—unbuckled himself hurriedly, and rolled his way out of the car as quickly as he could.Welf followed, swaying to his feet and steadying himself with his stupid ass cane.Only the dead woman seemed to be in the game, exiting like a perfect lady despite the man’s suit she wore.I unclawed my fingers from the steering wheel, twisting the keys to turn off the hybrid engine. Didn’t use any electric cruising on that drive, no we did not! I kicked open my door and stepped outside.There was a new dent on the fender.Wonder what I hit?“We’re still alive,” T-Bone wheezed to himself. “Thank God we’re still alive.”
Two weeks!
Two weeks!
May 1, 2015
FM5 Release Date, Cover, and Blurb
Release Date:
MAY 22ND!!!!!
Coverage:
If it's yellow, let it mellow!Blurbage:
MAY 22ND!!!!!
MAY 22ND!!!!!
Coverage:
If it's yellow, let it mellow!Blurbage:My name is King Henry Price. Yes, really. You'd think you'd be over that one by now. I'm the only freelance Artificer in the Western Hemisphere, crafting and experimenting to make objects of unique magical power. I'm also a geomancer, means I'm good at breaking metal, glass, and all the other important parts that keeps that box-like house over your head and not crashing down on it.
Few months back I told my mentor and the money behind my Artificer shop to get lost. Told her I didn't need her any more. Some actions have unintended consequences. Got a new partner now, T-Bone I call him, even if he hates the nickname. Electromancer, makes him good with computers. Not sure what makes him good at business, probably being raised by an accountant.
Rebuilt my shop again. One little fire-bombing, no big deal, right? Doing things MY way this time around, rebuilt it as a comic shop. Even got us a geeky employee at the cashbox knows too much about pop-culture for her own good. But that's just the front, the fake, the illusion. Real work is in the back. Selling artifacts to all comers now. Vampires, shapeshifters, mancers, don't got no choice.
Can't complain. Business is booming. Life is good.
Except for those unintended consequences...Once again:
MAY 22ND!!!!!
April 28, 2015
FM5 Dramatis Personae Sneak Peek
Since the growing cast of characters in THE KING HENRY TAPES will only continue to grow in the future, I decided it was time to add a Dramatis Personae at the start of the books. Mostly to provide a small reminder for your poor little brains. It serves as a halfway measure between nothing at all and the Traditionally Approved method of info dump after info dump polluting the first third of every novel, a tactic I loathed as a reader and refuse to use as an author but sparingly. Especially in THE KING HENRY TAPES with the way time actually moves between books and you needed caught up on what's happened since the last page you read anyway.
Too much dumpage!
But on the other hand I realize that a complete Dramatis Personae has a bad habit of spoiling just who might pop up in this specific novel and we wouldn't want that to happen, would we? Which is why I'm only updating the Personae to the characters we're aware of and what they've done by the end of the last novel. Spoilers for FM4 if you still haven't read it though, obviously, you horrible fan, you!
DRAMATIS PERSONAE(When we last left our heroes)
KING HENRY AND HIS ALLIES King Henry "Foul Mouth" Price – Geomancer, Ultra? – The Foul Mouth, Artificer for Hire, Wielder of a World-Breaker, Chosen of Meteyos, the Dirt KingValentine “Boomworm” Ward – Pyromancer, Ultra – A Recruiter, Ceinwyn Dale’s Heir Apparent, King Henry’s Girlfriend, The Fire QueenTyson “T-Bone” Bonnie – Electromancer, Ultra – Electronic and Online Security Consultant, Video Game Geek, Keeping King Henry Out of Too Much Trouble for Ceinwyn DaleCeinwyn Dale – Aeromancer, Ultra – Head of Recruiting for the Asylum, The Last True Dale, King Henry’s Former Financial Backer, Friend of Annie B and Ward of Nii-Vah, Likely Candidate to Replace the LadyMiranda Daniels – Aeromancer, Ultra – A Teacher at the Asylum, The Ginger Nemesis, Valentine Ward’s Best Friend and RoommateJason Jackson – Corpusmancer, Ultra – A Recruiter, Best Friend of Heinrich WelfEstefan Ramirez – Electromancer, Ultra – A Junior ESLED Agent Assigned to Northern California, Married to Debra Ramirez (nee Diaz)Eva Reti – Sciomancer, Ultra – ESLED Agent, Learning Council’s Fixer, King Henry’s ExNaomi Gullick – Floromancer, Ultra – A Teacher at the Asylum, King Henry’s Ex, She Doesn't Like Talking About ItOld Man Price – King Henry’s Dad, Works in a Warehouse, Finally Began Dating AgainSusanna Belle Price – King Henry’s Eldest Sister, Whereabouts Unknown, Last Heard About in Seattle
THE VAMPIRE EMBASSIES Nii-Vah – Vampire Divine, Mistress of Justice, Guardian of Ceinwyn Dale, Friend of Humanity?Inanina – Vampire Divine, Mistress of War, the Headless Hunny, Sister and Slayer of the Divine EreshaPwent – Vampire Divine, Mistress of Coin and of the Great Bank, Plays All SidesMoshi – Vampire Divine, Master of FleshAnnie B – Vampire Baroness, Wears the Shell of Anne Boleyn, Had a One Night Stand with King Henry, Killed Joannie D, Knows the Truth about King Henry PriceMoore – A Gentlewoman Vampire, Assigned to the San Francisco Embassy, Has Trice Crossed Paths with King Henry, Offered Information on “The Fall of Atlas”Linebacker – A Gentleman Vampire, Security for the San Francisco EmbassyEresha – DECEASED, Vampire Divine, Slain by Inanina with the Help of Mordecai RootJoannie D – DECEASED, Wore the Shell of Joan of Arc, Vampire Countess, Slain by Annie B with King Henry’s Help
THE WERE NATIONS Horatio Vega – Werecoyote – King of the Coyote Nation, a Poly-Were, King Henry’s Brother-in-LawJordan Josephine “JoJo” Vega – Werecoyote – King Henry’s Sister, a Poly-WereHector Vega – Werecoyote – DECEASED, Vega’s Nephew, Attempted to Kill King Henry, House Burnt Down by King Henry, Accidentally Slain by King Henry at the Auction of Illicit WondersZoey Vega – Werecoyote – Hector’s Maybe Wife At Least Baby MamaOvercoat – Werecoyote – DECEASED, One of Hector’s BoysTatterdemalion – Werecoyote – Assigned by King Vega to Guard Hector, Current Status UnknownSharp – Werepython – Vega’s Bodyguard and EnforcerThe Tsar – Wereraven – An Information Broker and Major Underworld FigureJarvis Washington – Faunamancer, Intra – Head of the Pitbull Nation, Lying About Being a Were, Officially Recognized by the AsylumGeorge Joseph “Go-Joe” McKenna IV – Wereotter – Vice President of the Otter Nation, Owns a Club, Total Mega Douchebag
THE CURATOR AND HIS ALLIES Obadiah Paine – Geomancer, Ultra – The Curator, The Broken One, Thought Dead by the Asylum, Once in Love with Ceinwyn Dale, Wants King Henry as his Apprentice, Seeks to Save the WorldConan Sapa – Corpusmancer, Intra – Gunman for Hire, Kidnaps and Procures Missed or Passed Over Mancer Children for Paine’s Purposes
OTHER POWERS METEYOS – Dragon – Lord of the Geo Realm, The Killer of Fools, One of the Thirteen, ImprisonedPOUGPAELLIETH – Sawaephim – Templar of Meteyos, Friend of King Henry, Imprisoned in the Geo Realm
Too much dumpage!
But on the other hand I realize that a complete Dramatis Personae has a bad habit of spoiling just who might pop up in this specific novel and we wouldn't want that to happen, would we? Which is why I'm only updating the Personae to the characters we're aware of and what they've done by the end of the last novel. Spoilers for FM4 if you still haven't read it though, obviously, you horrible fan, you!
DRAMATIS PERSONAE(When we last left our heroes)
KING HENRY AND HIS ALLIES King Henry "Foul Mouth" Price – Geomancer, Ultra? – The Foul Mouth, Artificer for Hire, Wielder of a World-Breaker, Chosen of Meteyos, the Dirt KingValentine “Boomworm” Ward – Pyromancer, Ultra – A Recruiter, Ceinwyn Dale’s Heir Apparent, King Henry’s Girlfriend, The Fire QueenTyson “T-Bone” Bonnie – Electromancer, Ultra – Electronic and Online Security Consultant, Video Game Geek, Keeping King Henry Out of Too Much Trouble for Ceinwyn DaleCeinwyn Dale – Aeromancer, Ultra – Head of Recruiting for the Asylum, The Last True Dale, King Henry’s Former Financial Backer, Friend of Annie B and Ward of Nii-Vah, Likely Candidate to Replace the LadyMiranda Daniels – Aeromancer, Ultra – A Teacher at the Asylum, The Ginger Nemesis, Valentine Ward’s Best Friend and RoommateJason Jackson – Corpusmancer, Ultra – A Recruiter, Best Friend of Heinrich WelfEstefan Ramirez – Electromancer, Ultra – A Junior ESLED Agent Assigned to Northern California, Married to Debra Ramirez (nee Diaz)Eva Reti – Sciomancer, Ultra – ESLED Agent, Learning Council’s Fixer, King Henry’s ExNaomi Gullick – Floromancer, Ultra – A Teacher at the Asylum, King Henry’s Ex, She Doesn't Like Talking About ItOld Man Price – King Henry’s Dad, Works in a Warehouse, Finally Began Dating AgainSusanna Belle Price – King Henry’s Eldest Sister, Whereabouts Unknown, Last Heard About in Seattle
THE VAMPIRE EMBASSIES Nii-Vah – Vampire Divine, Mistress of Justice, Guardian of Ceinwyn Dale, Friend of Humanity?Inanina – Vampire Divine, Mistress of War, the Headless Hunny, Sister and Slayer of the Divine EreshaPwent – Vampire Divine, Mistress of Coin and of the Great Bank, Plays All SidesMoshi – Vampire Divine, Master of FleshAnnie B – Vampire Baroness, Wears the Shell of Anne Boleyn, Had a One Night Stand with King Henry, Killed Joannie D, Knows the Truth about King Henry PriceMoore – A Gentlewoman Vampire, Assigned to the San Francisco Embassy, Has Trice Crossed Paths with King Henry, Offered Information on “The Fall of Atlas”Linebacker – A Gentleman Vampire, Security for the San Francisco EmbassyEresha – DECEASED, Vampire Divine, Slain by Inanina with the Help of Mordecai RootJoannie D – DECEASED, Wore the Shell of Joan of Arc, Vampire Countess, Slain by Annie B with King Henry’s Help
THE WERE NATIONS Horatio Vega – Werecoyote – King of the Coyote Nation, a Poly-Were, King Henry’s Brother-in-LawJordan Josephine “JoJo” Vega – Werecoyote – King Henry’s Sister, a Poly-WereHector Vega – Werecoyote – DECEASED, Vega’s Nephew, Attempted to Kill King Henry, House Burnt Down by King Henry, Accidentally Slain by King Henry at the Auction of Illicit WondersZoey Vega – Werecoyote – Hector’s Maybe Wife At Least Baby MamaOvercoat – Werecoyote – DECEASED, One of Hector’s BoysTatterdemalion – Werecoyote – Assigned by King Vega to Guard Hector, Current Status UnknownSharp – Werepython – Vega’s Bodyguard and EnforcerThe Tsar – Wereraven – An Information Broker and Major Underworld FigureJarvis Washington – Faunamancer, Intra – Head of the Pitbull Nation, Lying About Being a Were, Officially Recognized by the AsylumGeorge Joseph “Go-Joe” McKenna IV – Wereotter – Vice President of the Otter Nation, Owns a Club, Total Mega Douchebag
THE CURATOR AND HIS ALLIES Obadiah Paine – Geomancer, Ultra – The Curator, The Broken One, Thought Dead by the Asylum, Once in Love with Ceinwyn Dale, Wants King Henry as his Apprentice, Seeks to Save the WorldConan Sapa – Corpusmancer, Intra – Gunman for Hire, Kidnaps and Procures Missed or Passed Over Mancer Children for Paine’s Purposes
OTHER POWERS METEYOS – Dragon – Lord of the Geo Realm, The Killer of Fools, One of the Thirteen, ImprisonedPOUGPAELLIETH – Sawaephim – Templar of Meteyos, Friend of King Henry, Imprisoned in the Geo Realm
April 25, 2015
FM5 Mini Tease #2
"I got this shit. Assuming I can get through the casino without licking the wall for thirty minutes cuz of how tasty it looks."
April 22, 2015
FM5 Mini Tease #1
"I don't hate you because you're rich, Welf. I hate you because you're an asshole."
April 9, 2015
FM5 First Draft is Done
Give me a hell yeah!
So...that took longer than I thought it would. But, some great scenes in this book. Can't wait to get your reactions.
For those fans who weren't around last time for FM4 or FM3 (I don't think I had fans for FM1 or FM2) what now begins is Edit Hell. (after a week off, because i'm pretty close to being committed after that last 30k in one week)
EDIT HELL
1. OMG I FINISHED IT EDIT - First readthrough of the whole book as you will see it with timelines flipping back and forth.
2. OMG I'M A HORRIBLE WRITER EDIT - Rewrites and tone fixes, character changes, all the serious stuff.
3. OMG I'M THE BEST WRITER EVER EDIT - Formatting the novel into an actual ebook formatted novel with pages breaks and "about the author" pages and other boring stuff.
4. CRITICAL EYE EDIT - where I cut extra fluff, trim phrases to be more succinct, change vague worlds like "thing", etc.
5. WORDS THAT SUCK EDIT - where I check on a huge list of words I know I use to much and synonyms I know I flub up in the speed of writing. One of these words is "fuck" believe it or not. Yes, the release version is less vulgar than the first draft!
6. KINDLE EDIT - where I load the book onto a Kindle for the first time, this new reading experiences helps me see it anew and helps me make decisions on paragraph length and how the story flows as it looks on the page.
7. BETA READERS - associates, family, and people I've know forever get to tell me what they think while pointing out how much I suck at noticing typos.
8. I JUST WANT TO DIE, I HATE THIS BOOK SO MUCH, IF I HAVE TO READ THIS THING AGAIN I'LL NEVER WRITE ANOTHER ONE, BUT IF I DON'T DO THIS THEN SOME ASSHOLE WILL MAKE AN 'AT LEAST RUN SPELLCHECKER HUR HUR' JOKE BECAUSE THEY NOTICED A 'YOU'RE' INSTEAD OF 'YOUR' ON PAGE 405 EVEN THOUGH I'VE GOT THOUSANDS OF YOUR AND YOU'RES IN THE BOOK EDIT - So...self explanatory?
Then we get release. Edit Hell usually lasts one to two months. So release in this case can at this moment be estimated to May-June 2015. As editing progresses I will have a smaller and smaller estimation window, until the release date is decided.
As always with Indie publishing, one of the great parts of it is that the book doesn't sit around for months waiting for copies to be printed and shipped, as soon as it is done, you will have it on your ereader!
So...that took longer than I thought it would. But, some great scenes in this book. Can't wait to get your reactions.
For those fans who weren't around last time for FM4 or FM3 (I don't think I had fans for FM1 or FM2) what now begins is Edit Hell. (after a week off, because i'm pretty close to being committed after that last 30k in one week)
EDIT HELL
1. OMG I FINISHED IT EDIT - First readthrough of the whole book as you will see it with timelines flipping back and forth.
2. OMG I'M A HORRIBLE WRITER EDIT - Rewrites and tone fixes, character changes, all the serious stuff.
3. OMG I'M THE BEST WRITER EVER EDIT - Formatting the novel into an actual ebook formatted novel with pages breaks and "about the author" pages and other boring stuff.
4. CRITICAL EYE EDIT - where I cut extra fluff, trim phrases to be more succinct, change vague worlds like "thing", etc.
5. WORDS THAT SUCK EDIT - where I check on a huge list of words I know I use to much and synonyms I know I flub up in the speed of writing. One of these words is "fuck" believe it or not. Yes, the release version is less vulgar than the first draft!
6. KINDLE EDIT - where I load the book onto a Kindle for the first time, this new reading experiences helps me see it anew and helps me make decisions on paragraph length and how the story flows as it looks on the page.
7. BETA READERS - associates, family, and people I've know forever get to tell me what they think while pointing out how much I suck at noticing typos.
8. I JUST WANT TO DIE, I HATE THIS BOOK SO MUCH, IF I HAVE TO READ THIS THING AGAIN I'LL NEVER WRITE ANOTHER ONE, BUT IF I DON'T DO THIS THEN SOME ASSHOLE WILL MAKE AN 'AT LEAST RUN SPELLCHECKER HUR HUR' JOKE BECAUSE THEY NOTICED A 'YOU'RE' INSTEAD OF 'YOUR' ON PAGE 405 EVEN THOUGH I'VE GOT THOUSANDS OF YOUR AND YOU'RES IN THE BOOK EDIT - So...self explanatory?
Then we get release. Edit Hell usually lasts one to two months. So release in this case can at this moment be estimated to May-June 2015. As editing progresses I will have a smaller and smaller estimation window, until the release date is decided.
As always with Indie publishing, one of the great parts of it is that the book doesn't sit around for months waiting for copies to be printed and shipped, as soon as it is done, you will have it on your ereader!
April 4, 2015
Still Alive
Survived my family, survived the flu I got from my family. Writing, writing, writing. Not much else to say. Have 3 and 1/2 chapters left to write. Just passed 600 manuscript pages (these are shorter than normal pages usually) and 158k words. Feel really close to the end. Some resolutions and one climax left to get through!
Then Edit Hell.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Because I will probably be a broken mess of a human being after I push to finish this first draft.
Then Edit Hell.
But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Because I will probably be a broken mess of a human being after I push to finish this first draft.
March 10, 2015
Quick Notes #3
1. Fuck ants.
2. Double fuck mosquitoes.
3. House of Cards Season 3, what a bummer that was. I was so depressed by how bungled it was that I didn't even get through the whole thing. Poor Claire Underwood, it took 3 seasons but eventually she became the typical television wife instead of the interesting, captivating, complex First Lady Macbeth I hoped for her.
4. "Meet the Bonnies" has sold well over 100 copies in two weeks. This might not seem like a lot, but for a short work it's quite spectacular by my standards. After FM5 is finally finished and since FM6 will be an epic undertaking (yes, I'm already hyping that book!), I might put out a couple more, not sure yet. Despite my wish not to work on them I keep having ideas for them.
5. I had my first new idea for a brand new novel in like five years the other day, how about that? You might read it in like twenty years if you're lucky.
6. FM5...still writing. Writing a lot actually. Already wrote 3 chapters this month, with 5 to go. What's the only thing better than Drunk King Henry? High Out of His Fucking Mind King Henry. I've split the chapters so much that I can't imagine needing to do it again. It's a big book by my standards, but it's not filler. There's a lot going on plotwise. There's a lot going on characterwise. King Henry is pretty stretched thin and very much ready to do some punching back.
7. My grandfather is turning 85 this month. This requires family commitment and a trip out of town. I'm also still keeping myself away from the net to try to focus in on writing. So don't expect another update this month!
8. New Hearthstone adventure coming, woohoo!
2. Double fuck mosquitoes.
3. House of Cards Season 3, what a bummer that was. I was so depressed by how bungled it was that I didn't even get through the whole thing. Poor Claire Underwood, it took 3 seasons but eventually she became the typical television wife instead of the interesting, captivating, complex First Lady Macbeth I hoped for her.
4. "Meet the Bonnies" has sold well over 100 copies in two weeks. This might not seem like a lot, but for a short work it's quite spectacular by my standards. After FM5 is finally finished and since FM6 will be an epic undertaking (yes, I'm already hyping that book!), I might put out a couple more, not sure yet. Despite my wish not to work on them I keep having ideas for them.
5. I had my first new idea for a brand new novel in like five years the other day, how about that? You might read it in like twenty years if you're lucky.
6. FM5...still writing. Writing a lot actually. Already wrote 3 chapters this month, with 5 to go. What's the only thing better than Drunk King Henry? High Out of His Fucking Mind King Henry. I've split the chapters so much that I can't imagine needing to do it again. It's a big book by my standards, but it's not filler. There's a lot going on plotwise. There's a lot going on characterwise. King Henry is pretty stretched thin and very much ready to do some punching back.
7. My grandfather is turning 85 this month. This requires family commitment and a trip out of town. I'm also still keeping myself away from the net to try to focus in on writing. So don't expect another update this month!
8. New Hearthstone adventure coming, woohoo!
February 26, 2015
Meet the Bonnies (KH Short 6) Released
Blurbage:
Meet the Bonnies by Richard Raley on Amazon Kindle
Meet the Bonnies by Richard Raley on Smashwords
It's a great little moment in time for Tyson and King Henry. Like most of the short works, don't expect any huge revelations but do expect some laughs. Panicked T-Bone is best T-Bone.
As always the Apple and Nook links take a while to propagate through their systems so look for those in one to two weeks. For now, if you're an addict who must have it NOW, you can buy an EPUB file straight from Smashwords or just do the self-convert Calibre thing yourself from Amazon.
Hope you all enjoy!
Now I need to get back to finishing FM5.
And watching House of Cards Season 3 probably...so close! Almost here!
Tyson Bonnie made a mistake. A small mistake, yes, but still a grievous error that will cost him his sanity. His mistake wasn't agreeing to spy on King Henry Price. His mistake wasn't becoming friends with King Henry Price. His mistake wasn't even becoming business partners with King Henry Price.Linkage:
Tyson Bonnie's mistake was accidentally asking King Henry Price to meet his family.
What was he thinking!?!?
Meet the Bonnies by Richard Raley on Amazon Kindle
Meet the Bonnies by Richard Raley on Smashwords
It's a great little moment in time for Tyson and King Henry. Like most of the short works, don't expect any huge revelations but do expect some laughs. Panicked T-Bone is best T-Bone.
As always the Apple and Nook links take a while to propagate through their systems so look for those in one to two weeks. For now, if you're an addict who must have it NOW, you can buy an EPUB file straight from Smashwords or just do the self-convert Calibre thing yourself from Amazon.
Hope you all enjoy!
Now I need to get back to finishing FM5.
And watching House of Cards Season 3 probably...so close! Almost here!
February 6, 2015
FM5 Update Number Billion
So...January kind of sucked. I was sick quite a lot and didn't get much writing done at all. When I wasn't being invaded by viruses or bacteria, I was being invaded by pollen, since Fresno has decided to have spring in winter with a pretty large heat wave. The month ended up being one of my worst in two years. I even managed to write more in October when I sprained my arm than I did with all the flu.
Good news is that so far February is off to a rocket-like pace. I finished up the first draft on KH Short 6, which I'm probably going to call "Meet the Bonnies." It's 50 pages or 13k words long, equal in size to the Welf novelette "Second Take." I want to do one more edit on it before I give it over to the beta readers, but it looks like it should come out at the end of February or the start of March.
I also did a complete readthrough edit on FM5, fixing some problems that had arisen with characters needs versus plot needs, adding in some flesh on those first draft bones and the like. I ended up adding about 5k words to the whole book just with that, which isn't out of the ordinary. Generally, I always figure on adding about 10% to my first draft word count on my first look through it, since my first drafts are usually dialogue heavy.
Since then I've also finished a new chapter and am halfway through the next one. Although I had to split the last chapter...so we're up to 23 chapters total now...so...it all about evens out.
I've updated the estimation on the length of the novel to 160k words. Which means it's a big one by my previous standards. Way bigger than I thought it would be. I always knew we would get to this point where the mainline wanted to be it's own novel and then the school timeline was added to it, making for some big books, I just thought we would make it to FM6 before that happened. But no! FM5 wants to be a big boy too!
Which is fine. I'm very happy with the novel as it is at the moment. It is probably the most "bridge" novel in the series, showing the results of choices in FM4 and leading up to big problems in FM6 and beyond, but it also has a lot of big events in it and sees a ton of characters introduced into the mainline from the school timeline. It could also be the funniest book I've written, since Drunk King Henry is best King Henry.
Anyway, I'm done torturing you for now. Take away is that I'm writing as fast as I ever have, it's just a big book and we'll get there soon. I'm purposely staying off the net to focus, so it might be another month until I respond to any questions, but don't hesitate to ask as always!
Good news is that so far February is off to a rocket-like pace. I finished up the first draft on KH Short 6, which I'm probably going to call "Meet the Bonnies." It's 50 pages or 13k words long, equal in size to the Welf novelette "Second Take." I want to do one more edit on it before I give it over to the beta readers, but it looks like it should come out at the end of February or the start of March.
I also did a complete readthrough edit on FM5, fixing some problems that had arisen with characters needs versus plot needs, adding in some flesh on those first draft bones and the like. I ended up adding about 5k words to the whole book just with that, which isn't out of the ordinary. Generally, I always figure on adding about 10% to my first draft word count on my first look through it, since my first drafts are usually dialogue heavy.
Since then I've also finished a new chapter and am halfway through the next one. Although I had to split the last chapter...so we're up to 23 chapters total now...so...it all about evens out.
I've updated the estimation on the length of the novel to 160k words. Which means it's a big one by my previous standards. Way bigger than I thought it would be. I always knew we would get to this point where the mainline wanted to be it's own novel and then the school timeline was added to it, making for some big books, I just thought we would make it to FM6 before that happened. But no! FM5 wants to be a big boy too!
Which is fine. I'm very happy with the novel as it is at the moment. It is probably the most "bridge" novel in the series, showing the results of choices in FM4 and leading up to big problems in FM6 and beyond, but it also has a lot of big events in it and sees a ton of characters introduced into the mainline from the school timeline. It could also be the funniest book I've written, since Drunk King Henry is best King Henry.
Anyway, I'm done torturing you for now. Take away is that I'm writing as fast as I ever have, it's just a big book and we'll get there soon. I'm purposely staying off the net to focus, so it might be another month until I respond to any questions, but don't hesitate to ask as always!
