While the titles are still subject to change, I’ve made a tentative decision.
The first novel (originally the first half of Heretic) will be called Warlock’s Wake.
The second novel (originally the second half of Heretic) will still be called Heretic.
The third book is called Revenge.
Assuming Revenge doesn’t split in two like Heretic has, the fourth and final book of the series will be called Redemption.
I’ve written two of the three new scenes that I plan to add to Warlock’s Wake. I’m only adding one scene to the new Heretic. If all goes well, I’ll have Warlock’s Wake ready for my editor’s discerning eye by the end of the weekend. Depending on how things go, Heretic might be finished too!
After I get them finished, I’m going to focus on finding an agent before I put much more time into Revenge. I’m getting excited again.
Well, I haven’t been through here nearly as often as I had intended, but then again, there really hasn’t been anything to report.
As we move into August, I can look ahead and see September coming. I think I’m just about finished with my sulking over the Scott Hoffman rejection. The rejection itself didn’t bother me – it was the way we met in person and then he dealt with me so impersonally afterwards.
Regardless, I’m done feeling sorry for myself and being pissed over something I can’t change. It’s time to move forward once more. I’ve been struggling with some personal issues, and I’ve started a new job that has taken a lot of my time and energy. It’s rough, but I must regroup and set my sights back on my dream. I must move forward. I’ve already made the first steps.
I’ve made a meager beginning to the sequel to Heretic. It’s a short chunk of words that I’m calling Revenge, for now.
The LMP online contest will be finishing up in a couple months, and who knows? Maybe that will bear some fruit. It would be really great if it did. Even if it doesn’t, I’ll still get some feedback, and I have two months free access to their database of agents and publishers. I’m going to start making a very specific list of targeted agents to query and go from there.
I’ve also decided to cut Heretic into two smaller books. There are a few other story elements I want to add to it, but it’s already a long book, and I think that is hurting me. It costs a lot to print a book the size of Heretic, and neither an agent nor a publisher wants to take that kind of risk with an unproven author. Plus, it might help my credibility if I can say I’ve written TWO novels in the series and am working on the THIRD.
So, I’m going to whack it in two – I know just where I want to do it – and then add a few things to both new halves. If all goes well, I’ll end up with two books that are about 300 pages in length, instead of one that’s 540 pages long. I just don’t have any idea what I’m going to call them now!