Because I’m done, baby! As of 12:30 this morning, the first draft of PRODIGAL is finished, a roller-coaster journey that began last year when I first put pen to paper (well, fingers to keyboard–but you know what I mean). I e-mailed the manuscript to my long-suffering editor this morning, who has been patiently awaiting a completed draft since last September. If you’re reading this, Juliet, a bottle of booze is on the way.
Behind the scenes, it’s been a wild ride. A little over two weeks ago, I started a hard push to get it done so we could make publication for fall next year. Believe it or not, it takes about twelve months to do all the edits, typeset the copy, make final corrections and then get the book on the shelf–so I really had to get it in gear to make my (twice extended) deadline. Ten-page writing days became the norm, with every spare minute spent on the book. I haven’t been that productive since college.
To give you an idea, it took me over two years to write HAMMERJACK–and that was before my wife and I had two kids. I conceived, plotted and wrote PRODIGAL in a little less than seventeen months. Amazing what you can do when you’re motivated, isn’t it?
I just might have to light up a Monte Cristo White to celebrate. There’s also a six-pack of Paulaner Hefe-Weizen waiting in the fridge at home, just begging for a toast. Life is good!
ShareNOV
2005
