I am thisclose to finishing Tomb of Night. The carnivorous scarabs and giant tentacle-infested rats have shown up, the villains are about to reach the tomb, and the quasi-angel isn’t far behind. It’s going to be fun.
I want this zero done by the time I go to sleep tonight. It probably won’t happen, but at least I can get closer, and my irritation at several other things–the damn stove, the bloody mortgage company, publishing in general–can be poured into supernatural combat and the sinking of an entire tomb older than prehistory. Because if I’ve learned nothing else, it’s that a city falling into the endless sands is good for the plot.
Come tomorrow the bulk of my time will have to go into revising Gamble, but I might steal a day or so (since December’s starting so close to a weekend) to really put this one to bed. The decompression on two zero drafts in as many months is going to be a doozy, but maybe it can be ameliorated by revision? (Famous last words…) There is rather a lot to revise, especially since I’ve gotten some…well, I don’t know if it’s bad news but it’s certainly unpleasant and hard to hear. Giving myself time to absorb and just sit with things would probably be best, but there’s work to be done instead.
So the schedule to the end of the year includes revising Gamble, getting a workable zero of Tomb of Night, getting close to zero-draft territory on Highlands War (if I pull this off it’ll be three in three months, though technically Highlands is at its midpoint already), thinking about the next serial (a problem for 2025, but I need to start planning now), and getting a few sample chapters of a romantasy together for my agent. That last will likely be what I spend Friday Night Writes on, and it will feel like playing hooky, I’m sure. Oh, and the Monthly Sales page will need attention tomorrow, there’s a whole tranche of holiday discounts and the like to highlight.
Once the year turns over, there’s Hell’s Acre to think about, and whether or not I want to bring the portal fantasy out. The betas like it, and I should probably hold to that above all else. No need to decide right away, and it won’t do the book any harm to sit on my hard drive if that’s the way it’s got to be.
And now, for somewhat of an announcement.
There’s a lot going on in the news cycle, and I should take this chance to reiterate: Just because I don’t say something publicly does not mean I do not notice or care. Sometimes I’m not qualified to give an opinion, so I keep my damn mouth shut. Sometimes I feel very strongly, yet it’s not my place to speak, so I don’t. Sometimes the risk of harassment and death threats if I say something is one I’m not willing to run at the particular moment. Sometimes–and I know this may sound strange–I just do not have the time or energy to get into it with a bunch of randos and Reply Guys, so I refrain and focus privately on the things I can do as well as my own goddamn work.
So, coming at me with a, why haven’t you said something about X, do you not even care? is unhelpful, unwise, and will only earn a big juicy block. I am not here to service random strangers’ emotional needs.
For one thing, there’s a Boxnoggin who needs walking instead, though he will be quite irate at the weather. There’s supposed to be rain, and the poor fellow holds me entirely responsible for that. I wish I had even a fraction of the power this canine attributes to me. A whole lot of things would be sorted Right Quick if I did.
Onward to Thursday, then.