Yikes...first draft of Magic Mansion is done!

As predicted, I did find myself crying--much like the contestants on the show--but strangely enough, not in the spots I thought would be real tear-jerkers. I still have few spots to touch up where I wrote myself notes like DESCRIBE JIA'S HAIR, but for the most part, I'm done.

I think this novel had more constraints on it than nearly anything I've ever written. (Channeling Morpheus series being a close second, however it feels different because I didn't choose those constraints voluntarily.) I had a massive amount of characters that I needed to work to differentiate from one another. I had characters being voted on or off without my control. And I had this structure I'd put in place of the narrative being defined by crazy, contrived, loosely-themed challenges.

What snuck up on me and blindsided me was the love story.

Ricardo and John pluck at my heartstrings more than any other couple I've ever written. In some ways I relate to John, and some Ricardo. Both of them surprised me with their depth of character, and their nuances, and their feelings. I'll be eager to reveal the final chapters in a couple of weeks and to get to work editing the final for publication.