Reading

I read Traveler last week and just finished Warrior. Two thoughts have been most prominent:

#1, So Many Typos. Like, SO MANY. So many that I’m kinda dreading reading Druid (because I’m sure it’s worse). I apologize to everyone who has read my books and having an editor would definitely be the best part of getting published traditionally. Cleaning up the first three books is one of my major goals for the year, along with new covers.

#2, This story is SO GOOD. The books are good in spite of the typos. Maybe it’s conceited of me to say so, but after not reading any of my own books for a few years, I can look at them more objectively. If I can lose myself in a novel in spite of errors, that’s a damn good yarn. Now I’m even more motivated to make sure that Chosen is just as good as the first three. I certainly don’t want anyone to be disappointed by it. Even though it was 20+ years ago, I’ve never forgotten finishing Wheel of Time book 6 (or was it 7?) and thinking “I waited a whole year for that???”

I’ll start reading Druid tomorrow. I’ve been making notes about things to include in Chosen (and the inevitable Book 5) as I’ve been reading. There are a few characters from Warrior that I need to include, as well as some plot threads that I want to tie up.

[SPOILER ALERT – skip if you haven’t read Warrior]

I also want to include more of the content from “Child of Storms” (probably as flashbacks in Angie’s chapters) to explain what happened to Angie in the grove after she and Davis are separated.

Author-wise, I haven’t done anything else but re-read my own works. It’s necessary for story continuity and, honestly, it’s been too noisy and busy for me to write in a house with 6 people living in it. I used to write at Starbucks, but… pandemic. My husband works nights so I can’t even seclude myself in my own room and the basement is freezing. I’ve given serious consideration to writing in my bathroom but am resistant to embrace that level of ridiculousness. My granddaughter went back to public school last week (Praise the Gods!) and my daughter goes back to college next week, so I will finally have the quiet I need to write. I’ll try to put up the next chapter of Doomed this weekend but have found myself debating whether or not to devote time to it at all. Sometimes I hate my impulsive and indecisive brain. Mostly, though, it’s my friend. Gotta take the bad with the good, right?

TTYL.