One book becoming two, Part 2 of the tale

I've spent several days now working on the beginning of what will now be the third book in the series. It does feel like a beginning and sometimes I have to stop and remind myself that it is the start of a new book. It's weird because I'm so use to thinking of it as one story arc. But as I've said before, it's all a matter of working the story harder.

Speaking of which, I suppose I ought to explain why I decided to break it into two.

As readers may guess after reading The Three Books (aka book 1), the second story arc is about the life of St. Steigan. There is so much to set up, more of the magical world to build, new characters, etc. Overall, there is a lot! I do work to develop my stories, so there's work to do to make sure you, my fabulous reader, has lots of paths to explore. What is truth and what is a lie? Is this character a friend or a betrayer? What really lies beneath the Temple in the catacombs? I'm sitting here with a wicked grin on my face. Already I'm ready to go get back to work on the story. I love diving into this world! Really, this story is not meant to be read only once. There is enough here to read multiple times and deeper levels of meaning found each time. Wonderful parallels are cropping up between book 1 and 2. I am delighted and surprised each time I discover something new.

Just today, in fact, I started writing about Laurient (see previous posts) and St. Steigan going out to fight the gargaxes and St. Steigan comes up with this brilliant idea to transfer magic to Laurient. I hadn't seen this coming, didn't have it planned, it just popped in there. But it adds so many dimensions to the story. Because of this one thought, I can now spider several more things (like some foreshadowing for events in what will now be book 5) into the story. I love it!

Some of you may be wondering what will happen to the release date of the second book now that the preliminary draft is done. That's coming soon, I promise. The good thing is that I actually finished the draft by the date that I had set as my deadline so right now the story is still on track. As for my working title, I've had to change it because it no longer works. The Saint and the Betrayer, when split into to becomes The Saint (first title) and The Betrayer (second title). Somehow this just doesn't inspire me in the same way. Sigh. However, I have a new plan for the titles. I'm giving it a settling period to make sure I like it, but I'll probably make the title known at the same time I announce the release date for the second book.

So wait eagerly for more to come!

Happy reading!

Where do I go from here?

The act of writing and putting your manuscript together is enough for some people, but most then ask, "How do I get it published?"

Just yesterday I overheard a conversation where a wanna-be writer was asking this very question to a bookstore worker. He seemed disappointed when she couldn't tell him "The Secret." He told her he knew what he needed to do: get on the Internet and start researching agents, but in the end he left the store shortly after his disappointing conversation.

Will he go home and seek his answers online? Probably not. Will he go harass someone else to see if they can give him "The Secret"? Probably. Will that help him? Probably not.

There is no map to getting published. You have to find the road on your own. Even your road may give tips to others, but it won't be the path anyone else takes in exact precision. While having these questions is hard, seeking the magic secret is a waste of time. Just start doing and forge your own path. In the end, that's "The Secret."