Dead Lines
Today's entry is mainly for my publishers/editors/production people. The rest of you can come back later in the week for Deluge (when Leviathan shows up) safe in the knowledge that you didn't miss anything important.
Once upon a time, the evil witch known as Dorchester Publishing decided to stop paying money to their authors. And so, before signing with Deadite Press to reprint his back list and re-achieve financial security, our hero signed with a bunch of other publishers for various one-off projects, hoping that the advance money would allow him to pay his bills. And it did. But then all of those projects came due at the same time, and our hero struggled valiantly to meet all of the deadlines, and the stress of that (combined with the behind-the-scenes stress of still dealing with the evil witch Dorchester, and some things in his personal life) caused his heart to say, "Fuck this. I quit."
The doctor's agree that the number one thing I need to do upon release from the hospital was reduce the stress in my life. That means not worrying about missing my deadlines. I know that's terribly unprofessional of me, and it makes me feel guiltier than you know, but it is what it is. Writing has cost me a marriage, friendships, and many other important things. I'm not going to let it cost me my life, too.
Clickers vs. Zombies is almost finished. The Lost Level is more than halfway finished. Binky, aka Lake Fossil, is a quarter of the way finished. Hole In The World, With Teeth, The Seven, and Suburban Gothic are only in the early first-draft stages. Obviously, I am not going to make the deadline on any of these books (although it will be very close with Clickers vs. Zombies and The Lost Level). If any of you would prefer not to wait, contact me privately, and I will pay back the advance in total, including a penalty fee, and we can make the contract null and void. I think that's fair, and I will totally understand you wanting to protect your interests. And if not, then we shall proceed accordingly, albeit me turning the manuscript in much later than scheduled. Thanks in advance for your understanding.
