My last post was August 29. It has been a complicated and sometimes difficult time since then. There have been commitments to other people, minor illnesses, slowly reduced creative energy, the needs of my family, and so on. I can usually get three to five hours writing done in the morning, but if I am interrupted by anything that demands more than a moment’s attention, it breaks my concentration and I can go no further. You might say these last few weeks have been just a little frustrating.

I have, fortunately, been doing good work on those days when there were no interruptions — updating story/chapters from sketch, to rough, to first, and so on, but just one level at a time for each, instead of trying to finish each one all at once. I am working now on chapter sixty. I’ll take a break after I update the last chapter — sixty seven — by one level, then I’ll  go back to those chapters which are not already at what I call ‘third draft,’ updating each of them one level at a time as I have done before, until I finally get the whole text at that ‘third draft’ stage. Then I will take a longer pause, maybe a week or so, then start the three polish readings and the text to speech. I feel like it is — and it is — taking a long time to do this.

Old age is not for sissies, as someone once said. It’s preferable to dying young, of course. I have known some who have. I intend to keep going and writing for as long as possible. When I can no longer write, I’ll get my rescued English Bulldog, name it Mike (for Michael or Michelle), and retire.

But not yet. Each chapter gets closer and closer to how the investigators close the gates to evil and shut it out. Every morning of good work gives me chills, which means I’ve been doing it right.  

When The Empty House has been published at last, I will start work on one more book, an idea that has been rattling around in the back of my head for decades, taking place in the world of A Thing Forgotten, but at a later time. It will not be a sequel, any more than two stories in set in New York are prequel/sequel of each other. If I am able to finish that, I may try another.

What I am hoping, with this post, is to assure you — and myself — that I am still in business. I do not intend to quit, unless my muse (so-called) retires first, leaving me with no ideas and nothing to write about. I’ve seen no hint of this yet. Every morning I find my muse (my unconscious creativity) waiting for me, and it is sometimes so strong that I am surprised by what I have accomplished.

I’ll be back as soon as I have something to report. Or, you could stop by and we could just talk for hours.