The Very Strange Thing

Last week I promised to explain the Very Strange Thing that happened as I began writing the final (sob) book in the Sammy Keyes series.



Book #18.



Eighteen!



Are you aware of what a wonderful number eighteen is?



It's two nines.



And, as you regulars may recall from a previous post, nines are amazing!



And eighteen is two  of them.



Sorry. I know. The Very Strange Thing, right?



But first, I couldn't have imagined a better reception for Showdown in Sin City. I loved all the jumping up and down and the sincere compliments about the plotting threads and the character development and people saying that it was the best book yet. The best book yet! People just don't say that about the 16th book in a series...but they did! It was wonderful and amazing and so...satisfying. It was a long, winding, skid-filled road to get to Sin City, but we arrived to a hero's welcome and it was awesome!



Speaking of winding and long roads, I know, I know. the Very Strange Thing.



Sorry!



Maybe I'm just trying to avoid talking about the Very Strange Thing because it's about the Very Last Sammy which is (sob!) the very last Sammy!



But, see, that's the Very Strange Thing--I was expecting to be a blubbering idiot. From the first sentence I just knew I was going to be all weepy faced and runny nosed and very, very hard to be around.



And then I got to page three, and that's where the Very Strange Thing happened:



I started laughing.



At first it was just a snicker. I was kinda...well...maybe afraid to laugh. I mean, how could I be laughing?



This was the very last (sob!) Sammy!



And the story was so serious.



But the more I wrote the funnier things seemed to get until...well, I got kinda hysterical.



Maybe it's just hysteria from not dealing with the Very Last Sammy (sob!) in the proper manner. Maybe I'll end up chucking it all and starting over.



Or maybe the entire series has been funny, and just because this last book is serious and designed to be different, well that doesn't mean humor isn't the proper vehicle to take us to The End.



Or maybe I'd just rather laugh my way to The End, than sob my way there!



And now you know--the Very Strange Thing that happened.



Laughter!



See you next week!