The novel is now again safely in the hands of my talented, fantastic editor (the sublime Christine Gordon Manley), and so we play the patient waiting game for her to give it a final pass.
I mean, I hope. There’s always the chance that she will come back with feedback that requires copious additional work, but I don’t think so. I feel pretty confident about where the story is now in a way I didn’t during the last draft.
It’s interesting that sense you gain as you write more about whether a story is “done” or not. I think it’s done. I’m 98% sure it’s done, and that last 2%? That’s Christine’s job to give me the thumbs up.
Which, as I think I mentioned, doesn’t mean time off for me. No, no. “Time off” isn’t something i have the luxury of just yet. Maybe someday. Hopefully. But for now I’ve already started hacking out the next novel, starting to take notes about character and setting and all that good stuff to maintain consistency when I start actually writing.
Anyway, all that to say that I’m happy that the novel is hitting the next stage, and I may have a new cover artist. Progress!
Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy!