I know that my updates over the last couple of weeks have not been frequent. I appreciate all of your patience! A trusted associate—who has an excellent literary eye—recently read The Elarra Solstice Book 1: Whispers and Shadows and provided me with some great feedback.

One of the recurring themes in his feedback was about the backstory that is exposited throughout the book. When discussing this, he would often say something like, “This is such a rich story: I want to experience it, not hear about it!” He proposed splitting Book 1 into two books, saying something to the effect of “You’ve already got the outline done for a new Book 1, and then you have room to flesh out these other plotlines in what will be Book 2—therefore solving your pacing problems!”

At first, this presented a daunting challenge. I’ve worked on these manuscripts a long time and I was wary of asking you to wait longer before I go through the publication process. However, after much thought, I have completed outlines for the new Books 1 and 2 and am ready to proceed forward. What this means is that I need you to be patient as I do the following things:

  • I will probably need 3-6 months to complete the rework of the new Books 1 and 2. The Elarra Solstice will then end up being a 7 book cycle. As you know, I already have completed manuscripts for Books 2 and 3 (which will become Books 3 and 4). I have also begun writing Book 4 (now Book 5). But in order to get this series onto your bookshelves, I need the first book to be the best it can be. Which is great, because in my mind Books 3 (now 4) and 4 (now 5) are where things really get going.
  • I will write a weekly blog entry so that I can focus my time on writing. I’ll keep you posted on my progress through the blog, Facebook, and Twitter.
  • Sometime next week, I will be making changes to the website to reflect the changes in my series.
  • Sometime next week, I’ll be taking down the excerpts at least until I have the new first few chapters up for you to sample.
  • I will also be moving Lindallin Snowfall into the excerpts section, and probably take it down for awhile. Several elements of that short story are now going to be integrated into the new Book 1.

I know that I’m asking you, potential readers, to wait longer for an unpublished book. All I can say is that the wait will be worth it. Stay connected by becoming a fan of the Facebook page! Follow me on Twitter for additional small updates and thoughts! And check back here weekly for the blog entry that plots my progress.