I Finished 27!

Now what?

Given what happened and is still happening over the weekend in Israel, it doesn’t seem right to discuss any accomplishments of mine today. I don’t even know what to say about the situation. This war’s being going on for centuries. I’m sure both sides have their talking points, grievances and claims. I will say, kidnapping, raping and shooting civilians in cold blood goes about as low as low can go. What will make it stop? Forever, and not temporarily?

But as life must still go on and as I promised you some news of the finished novel last week, here goes:

On September 29, I finished 27! The house went to wrack and ruin, the laundry piled up, much beloved sewing ideas had to wait, and…I finished it.

It feels really good to get this thing done. It’s at over 113,000 words which much longer than my last novel which stood at just under 70,000 words. This will make many of you happier, as the chief complaint I got about Elizabeth Millhouse was that it was much too short!

So what’s the plan now?

Honestly, we’re still figuring that out, but here is what I can share with you right now:

My mentor Michael Collins has already read about 75% of the book. So the first thing is to send him the rest of it, and collect his feedback. Then I have to re-write the first two pages, per some feedback he has already given me.

Once that is done, I need to have it proofread for any obvious misspellings and so forth, and then we are planning to print a limited run of manuscripts for review purposes.

That’s going to cost some money, so if you haven’t become a paid subscriber yet, please consider doing so now! Every penny will go toward publishing 27 and toward re-publishing The Pursuit of Elizabeth Millhouse.

You guys have been so supportive and have been following my progress for a while now, so it is only right to offer you the opportunity to read one of these manuscripts and send it back to me with your review and thoughts, if any.

If you would like a manuscript to read and review, please let me know right away so that Jonathon can put you on the list.

My first publishing experience was a miserable, wretched affair and I really want to avoid a repeat of that experience. For the longest time it made me rather gun-shy about finishing the book. But it’s a different decade, and I find myself living in a different world altogether.

One of the nice things about the world I find myself in now is that between the two of us Jonathon and I have met many new people who would probably be interested in this project, and have opportunities to make even more connections just around the corner. I’m excited to see what will happen!

What can you do to help?

First, pray for me as I finish this project and we begin the publication process. My trepidation about it is very real, and daily health ups and downs tend to magnify these anxieties.

Second, become a paid subscriber to help us fund publication of this story. Every cent will go toward publishing 27, and towards re-publishing The Pursuit of Elizabeth Millhouse.

Finally, let me know if you are interested in reviewing a manuscript! Your thoughts, impressions, and testimonial would be useful for us as we go through the publication process.

That’s all, for now. There’s laundry, sewing, and a kitchen calling me 😁Until next time, folks…