Developmental edits: DONE

My coauthor and I have declared Houses (Book 4 of the Pendulum series) developmentally complete. Whew! No more big plot holes to fill, character arcs to massage, or magic systems to flesh out. The plot’s as done as we can stand to make it.

We still need to do all the line edits, copy edits, and final proofing. And finish the formatting, endpages, cover design, SEO launch research… well. Suffice to say, we’re not out of the woods, but that light at the end of the tunnel is looking ever so much brighter.

So if you haven’t read the first three books in the series, there’s still time to catch up! You can find purchase links and more info here on my website.

Question: How do you like the mockup artwork at the top of this email for the back cover of Houses? It represents one of the eponymous houses from the book's title, called Light House (duh), that the Pendulum visits as he tries to recover his memories.  Reply with any feedback you have, we’d love to hear from you!

Behind the scenes extra

Here’s another tidbit from my new short story collection, The Artificial Elephant. I recently unearthed the original notes, written by my elementary school son, which the two of us used as the basis for the short story “The Nest.” Here’s a sample. It’s just so stinkin’ cute.

GETTING PIPARD           

it was nine days be for the big battle so we had to go fast so we got a spy and she went to find out what was going on and they wear up to no good and the they cot  the spy but she brok free and ran fast fast fast  safe at last!

THE BATTLE  

it was the day of the battle we wear perpard for it and then they wear on us  it was dust tiwigs and a lot of rocks the nest was a mess and then we drove them out of the nestatory  but  then they split up and went back one went the front way and half went  back behind  us but we wear all so reddy we had sent in a spy  to see all the ways and turns they would take!

Talk soon, and thanks for all your support!

-Eric