THE END

I just typed those words on my Book 4 draft last night.  Exciting!

It's taken a full year to write this book (mostly because I was writing it during two busy semesters of grading papers and teaching a full load of freshman English classes).  And  I've spent the past few weeks of my empty summer finishing the draft.  

Still to come:  Decisions about a title and book cover, editing (first, by me, as I polish up the rough draft a couple of times, smooth out the rough spots, do some careful researching, and get the book up to my best possible capability -- then, it's off to the my publisher).  At the end of this year, I'll also be brainstorming ideas for Book 5 in the series.

I realized the significance of this draft last night. I haven't written a novel in three years!  I've spent the last two-and-a-half years editing the three published books in the series, which I wrote years ago. So, it felt wonderful to get back to what I love the most -- writing.  It's my favorite part of the process, for sure.  It was a special feeling, returning to Chilton Crosse and writing about those characters I feel so close to...

I'll be updating my author page more often, now that I'll be having bits of news to share.

Thanks for going with me on this journey!