I’ve been able to sink my teeth into the book over the past week, reading each chapter line by line. In many ways, it’s like a discovery phase. I’m catching little kernels that I half-remembered putting in. With the loss of my Series Bible–a file that saves all my notes regarding the land of Ermaeyth–this has been invaluable in crafting a new one.

For the moment, I have shifted all my attention to Vol. II, putting aside Vol. III, the novella, and other projects in various early stages. I hit the halfway mark today and have whittled the word count below 275,000, a significant drop from the original 329,000. Don’t worry, the core elements of the story are still there, I just trimmed the fat. Much of what has been cut was either gratuitous exposition or detail, elements that did not advance the plot quickly, readjusted subplots, unnecessary filler words, and believe it or not, contractions. I never realized how many times I didn’t use contractions. I may not have caught them all, but it’s better than before. Just that alone has dramatically reduced the number of words.

Well, the timer is set, and I’ve got to get this done before the tax return comes in. I seem to work better with deadlines. I got The Demon’s Fate out under a tight timetable, so, this will help ensure readers aren’t waiting until the end of the year for something to read. If all goes well, the first release–a horror novella called The Dark Portal–will be out by August or sooner, with Vol. II hot on its heels.

For those of you who are unaware, all novels are tied together in a shared universe, so there’s plenty of time to catch up! I’m out.

If you enjoyed this content and you’re an avid, epic fantasy reader or a sci-fi junkie, check out my books, The Bearer of Secrets and The Demon’s Fate on Amazon. All works are available on Kindle Unlimited, eBook, and print. Reviews can be found on Goodreads and Amazon.