You're the flame that burns me

A few minutes ago I emailed off Draft Two of Ganymede to my editor, complete with some marked-up maps of the New Orleans area (for artistic reference). Then I poured myself a glass of wine because I needed something to take the edge off the terrible feeling that comes in the wake of having hit "send."

But the fact is, Ganymede needs another set of eyes on it now. Even though there's still more to be done, I had to get it off my plate or else I was only going to mess it up worse; so rationally, I know I made the right decision when I opted to kick the ball back into Liz's court rather than sit around for another week and fiddle obsessively.

Which doesn't change my neurotic flailing – the OCD refrain of, "But what do I work on NOW?" that's fluttering around in my head.

Mind you, this is completely stupid, considering all the OTHER work I have waiting on deck. Now I must take these few precious holiday days and sort out what, precisely, I'm going to try to write and sell in 2011. Then I have to start manufacturing proposals and sample content for the projects that feel promising; and after the New Year I should have a conversation with my awesome agent so we know we're on the same page about what needs to happen next.

(Of course, a week or so into January the copyedits on Hellbent will land, and the third weekend in that same month has me heading off to Michigan for a convention and a bookstore event, and then a week later I begin promo and signings and appearances in earnest for Bloodshot … and then in February I go to Houston, and never mind my day job, and so forth, and so on … and here we go again …)

[Crossposted from my website. If you'd like to comment, you can do so either here or there.]