What’s Happening

This is another one of those rambling posts.  But it has information! in it!  so you might want to barrel through.  Maybe.

My life has become total chaos lately–the most wonderful sort of chaos where I know everything I’m doing is vitally important and irreplaceable and must! be! done! and I’m so so happy to do it except that there aren’t enough hours in the day.  Love that.  Love when there aren’t enough hours in the day to do all the wonderful things.  It’s my favorite.

Some of those things are boring or personal, like chasing my two year old around in circles (like this mommy! just like this!) or taking care of my (seriously needy) yard or the endless march of church responsibilities that called on me a couple months ago.

But some of it is writing stuff.  That stuff you get to hear about.

First, the imminent: I am reaching the very tail end of the task list for EVERYTHING’S FINE.  Layout is done.  My editor is doing one last pass.  The cover is basically done.  I believe that I will get to share it with you next week!  Spoiler: it’s gorgeous.  SO THE BOOK WILL BE OUT IN JUNE!  I’m way excited, if you couldn’t tell.

Second, the tedious: I’m doing a pass on a book that’s already been on submission once, because once I learned all that stuff about beats I discovered I need to revise basically everything I’ve ever written.  This book is no exception, and adding tons of beats to a 70,000 word manuscript is brain frying.   But I’m gaining new skills!  If there’s one thing you should never stop doing as a writer, it’s building new skills.  There are so many possible skills to have in your writing toolbox, your lifetime will not be enough to master them all.

Third, the endless: I’m also revising a book that my agent looked at last year.  It needed work.  In fact, I wrote the wrong book all together.  I am nearing the end of the rewrite now.  Have I written the right book this time?  I’m sitting on the edge of my seat, let me tell you.

Fourth, the new and shiny: I’ve started collaborating on a project with a writer friend of mine, who happens to be a freaking genius.  This may turn out to be a train wreck, but I hope not, because playing with this book is FUN.  I want it to be equally fun to read.  (We’re still in the outline stage.  If it turns into an actual, readable work, you will hear more.)

Fifth, the waiting: I also have a first draft of a YA romance just waiting for me to pause to breathe, so I can revise it into something readable.  I am so excited about that book.  I need to bump numbers one through three off my plate, and then I’ll be digging into this.  I.  Cannot.  Wait.

You guys.  I have not been this excited about writing…maybe ever.  You know why?

Because I’ve stopped caring about how any of it turns out.  I have so little control over what happens to my books.  Maybe they’ll sell to publishers.  Maybe I’ll put them out myself.  Maybe they’ll turn out to be train wrecks that take years to rewrite.  (Um, maybe, all three?  Yes.  I’m going to hope for all three.)

But the only piece I can control is whether or not I show up to work in the morning.

Here I am!  Working!  For the first time in years, I’m really pleased with the results.  I hope you’re excited about them too.