Excuses, excuses, excuses!

It’s April 28th and there are thousands of really amazing reader-fans waiting for the release of books 9 and 10 of War of the Fae, which I had scheduled to come out at the end of April. Don’t worry! The books are coming very soon! But they are being delayed again, and I wanted to take a moment to explain why. (Excuses, excuses, excuses! I can hear my mother’s voice in my head right now, and it’s making me cringe.)

Originally, books 9 and 10 were supposed to be released at the end of 2015. Then my husband’s horse riding accident threw my publication schedule into a tailspin and blew that date out of the water. I tried to recover (along with him), but then work I contracted to finish for Montlake Romance took precedence and pushed my indie releases even further back.

The process for writing, editing, and releasing a traditionally published book is completely different than the one I follow for my indie books. Being part of a large publishing team with almost no control over the schedule, a process that has about ten steps can become very time-consuming for me. There are several rounds of developmental editing, copy editing, and proofreading with tight deadlines on both sides (for me and the publisher).

The problem is not just the time traditionally published books take away from my indie writing, but the fact that every time I’m asked to edit my manuscript again (or look over their copy editing or proof reading) it pulls me out of the world I’m writing in and thrusts me into a totally different world, with a whole other set of characters and another storyline altogether.

Normally when I write a book, I stay in that world the entire time until I’m done; otherwise, it becomes impossible to keep track of what’s happening with the story. It’s also very difficult to maintain the character voices properly. When I have a traditionally published book calling my attention away, and then go back to my indie book, I have to re-read everything I already wrote so I can re-orient myself in the world and story again. That takes even more time, especially as the book gets longer.

I ended up cancelling a couple projects altogether at the end of 2015, hoping I could fit them in at the end of 2016. Other projects I delayed, which was the case for War of the Fae. I would never drop that project; Jayne and friends are way too important to me and to my readers! However, because of the delays I’ve mentioned and the fact that I am in the process of undertaking a huge household move across France with 3 kids and 3 horses —one who’s pregnant and ready to give birth any day— I will have to delay the release of War of the Fae books 9 and 10.

So, after hearing all my excuses (that you could probably care less about), let’s get down to brass tacks. When can you expect War of the Fae book 9 to be released? I will finish writing the book in May (I have quite a bit of it done already). It will then go into editing. I’m hoping that means we can have the book out to you by June 15th at the latest. Of course I’m going to shoot for sooner, but my schedule will get pushed around by this foal, that’s for sure. It’s my first time attending and managing a horse birth, so I expect it will take up all of my headspace for a week or so, assuming that there are no complications.

I know many of you will be disappointed at this delay, and some won’t be happy about my reasons for being late. There’s nothing I can do but say to all of you that I’m sorry. I truly am. I just hope you will try to understand that the creative process isn’t like a light switch you can turn on and off at will. I am a very disciplined person, and I can do a tremendous amount of work in a short time, even when under pressure, but when things are this crazy (i.e., twice as nuts as usual), it’s very difficult for my brain to quiet down enough to hear the voices of my characters in my head, and if I try to push myself past it, the stress level goes so high, I worry I’m going to give myself a stroke. I’m taking a small step back until this move is over before I dive in head first again, so that I can give you the very best story that all of you faithful readers absolutely deserve to get from me!

My publishing schedule on my website is updated pretty regularly by Noelle, so if you have questions about publication dates, that’s the place to go. And if you’re frustrated by my book release schedule, please leave Noelle out of it; she has no control over my writing process and is just as anxious as you are to see the new books (maybe more so, since she’s the one handling proofreading and administrative tasks associated with them!) You can write me a note and I’ll answer when I can. I have no internet at my new house until mid-May, though, so don’t worry if it takes me a few days to reply. I have to drive to a local bar to get free wifi! (oh, the joys of moving!)

As always, thank you for your faith in me and for your readership. I treasure the gift I’ve been given that allows me to provide you with entertainment that takes you away from your daily lives, and I want nothing more than to share it with you!

Hugs,
Elle