A good afternoon to all!
I imagine there's some annoyance at the delay with this post, so I won't keep you in suspense on the biggest news: As of Sun (9/23), the draft of my Civil War Alternate History novel, Bloody Relations, is FINALLY DONE, new sections and all! :) :) It's been a long, meandering path to get even to this point, with plenty more work still to go--but the hardest part is done at last. Now it's time to head back home (mentally in most senses, but physically in a few others :P), after so much time exploring the thrills, rewards, and, yes, disappointment or discouragement of the writing world. In such a spirit, I give you for this week's song Homeward Bound by Simon and Garfunkel, from their Parsley, Sage album. (Usual copyrights apply; I own nothing!)
As with most of this great duo's music, I was introduced to this tune at a very early age by parents who were big fans, and it's stayed at the top of my playlist over the years since. Until recently, I thought of it as one to play at the end of a trip, or just a long, arduous day of work or classes. Now, having learned how writing can often be just as demanding (whether with new work, or edits), it's taken on a new significance. Many times when I've been struggling with a draft, or traveling to and fro in the imagined world(s) it creates, there's nothing more appealing than the thought of "home" (in other words, anywhere else in my apartment, or with my family, that takes me away from the laptop), and this song has become a key part of the return to that place. I always enjoy going back out on the next writing trip (in more ways than one :D), but having a place of any kind to just sit, read, listen to music or sleep is what sustains me when a project is flailing, or when I've finished and need to get away from the work for a while.
The next "trip" won't be until the start of November, when NaNoWriMo kicks off again; however, I'll be taking a few round-the-block walks over the coming month with Dixie Curtain and maybe a few other drafts, to stay limber writing-wise. The current top choice for this year's draft is one that blends scifi and thriller; details are still being hammered out, so I won't spoil anything else as yet! Bloody Relations will be going out to beta-readers a bit later this week; if you'd like to be one, message me here, or on Twitter or my FB Author page! I'm looking to have the fully edited version ready by Halloween, or a little after, with publication around the start of December at the latest; haven't decided yet whether to go the self-publish route, approach a niche publisher, or seek out an agent. I'll have more news on this in the next couple weeks; meanwhile, keep commenting, reviewing, and spreading the word on Discarded, or any of my other works you like, as ever!