For the last couple of weeks, I have wrestled with the next book in the Portal Universe series. Except, it wasn’t jelling. The notes felt unstructured, rambling, the outline felt dull (which is because it is the wrong story). I still, I kept on trying, until yesterday when I decided to put it aside, and work on something else. Because I had forgotten something. I had forgotten that I never work on two books in the same universe, back to back, just as I do my best to not do two revisions back to back. Simply because my brain needs the break. Then there are that detail that the idea is… rather new. Oh, I had known that I would write about Erwan and that it would involve dragons, somehow. But what exactly would happen, didn’t occur to me until a month ago or so. The combined result is that I am putting it aside, to work on The Silver Hand instead. I will probably pick up Erwan’s story in… July or August or so.
To be honest, I am excited about the Silver Hand. But I am also scared, since it is book 2 in a four book story arc and I have no idea how I will manage to tie everything together in the fourth book. I know what happens in book 2 and book 3, but book 4 is mostly blank. Beyond the big confrontation happening, that is. Oh well. I have time to figure it out. I am really excited for this series.
Except I am not sure what the market is for epic fantasy novels 40-50 000 words each. I know writers who say 50 000 words is the ideal length, but I am a bit dubious when it comes to epic fantasy. Maybe I can release it as a serial… Hmm. Except that would mean investing a lot of money on the gamble that I sell enough to earn it back. I still have time to make up my mind about it.
A couple of weeks ago, I realised that Erwan’s book should be released before the written but unedited book that I thought would be published after Daughter of the Dark. Which basically wrecked my publishing schedule. I can fix it, if I revise The Wild Hunt or type in Frosthold. Which I probably will.
Now to decide which book. Hmm.
Originally I thought it would be Frosthold. Except that doesn’t make sense since the Wild Hunt has already been betaread twice. ( Though I still need to revise it based on Thirzah’s feedback.) Which means it is significantly closer to being published than Frosthold. So I guess I will do one more pass and send it to Laura Anne. Uh. Maybe I should discuss this with her first… Well. It wouldn’t be until Fall anyway. Cause I cannot clone myself. 🙂
