There's a dragon in Draca; a restored figurehead with a dark history. The Vikings who carved and venerated that fearsome eye would have celebrated not Christmas but Yule, the midwinter solstice and the birth of the new year, so Happy Yule, God Jul. Or, as it may have been in Old Norse, Gleðileg jól.
It's a long wait, isn't it?
3 months since Draca reached 100% funding, with your help.
Over a month since I finished the 'structural edit'. That's normally the hard one, when an experienced, professional editor critiques everything from plot to characterisation to language and 'voice'. I'm delighted to say that Draca sailed through with only minor tweaks.
Three weeks since the copy edit was done. That's the detail, right down to punctuation.
The next stage is when I'm sent suggestions for cover design. The boat in the storm that I worked up on my laptop for fundraising is definitely capable of improvement. There'll also be some contractual stuff to go through for the rights to use the 'In Support of Combat Stress' motif within the front matter.
Then comes typesetting. After that Draca will be in the queue for launch resources. The current forecast is that you will have the book in your hands in mid May, although general release will probably be July. I'd love to accelerate that so we don't launch just as everyone is going on holiday. There will be a programme of promotional activities building up to the launch, and beyond, starting with a speaking slot at the Chalfont St Giles Literary Festival on 21st May. Details to follow, but I've managed to negotiate a small number of free seats for supporters.
So thanks for your patience. I'm so keen for Draca to be out there in the world, and I look forward to signing as many of your copies as possible at launch events. The next update will probably when I can share a preview of the cover.
In the mean time, thank you once again for your support. Between us, we're making this happen.
God Jul, Gleðileg jól, Happy Christmas.
Geoff