Edits, Progress, Updates

Still working on the edits for the new Drakenfeld novel, which has gone back to being untitled – that’s a brief way of saying my original title was considered crap. Fair enough. I’m toying with the idea of just going with Drakenfeld, since the book is really about him as much as anything else.

The edits aren’t major, but there are plenty of ways to improve things. I actually really like being edited, though the process is a bit of a chore. I’m always amazed at the psychology of it all – how your foibles and thoughts seem to present themselves again and again. Not necessarily in terms of errors, but the things that seem to preoccupy you as a writer. Death is one of those things I think I’m still obsessed with – or maybe it’s part of my psyche. Hopefully I’m not simply regurgitating that theme in this book, but doing something slightly different with it. Can a writer ever escape those things though? Probably not.

I’ve tried to keep some distance between myself and genre for the past year, as well, which I think is only healthy for a genre writer from time to time. The older I get, the less things like genre taxonomy really appeals to me. Not even being focussed on categories or boundaries or debates about what makes a book fantasy has been rather liberating. I like to think the benefits are now showing in the book, but perhaps few will actually notice.

As for publication date, Drakenfeld is going to be published October 2013 now – not because of the edits, but to avoid clashes on the schedule. It also conveniently gives me more time to be lazy work on refining the book that little bit more. I’m also told there will be proof copies, too, so reviewers will be able to get their hands on it earlier.

There have also been discussions on the cover art for the new book – I’m sure more than a few people will be pleased to know there’s not a hooded figure in sight…