All the things I've written about in the previous blog entry are still ongoing. I'm going to the gym, lifting weight, getting healthier, my contract with Awesome Company was renewed for several more months, and I'm still writing books.
In fact, I've just typed "The End" under book #2. Over the weekend, I've plotted book #3, so we're looking at a trilogy. All of them are m/m, but book #3 also features a trans* character. I'll freely admit that writing that book scares me somewhat, but the characters are loud in my head, so I'll leave my comfort zone and write it. I'll consider it a giant FU to TERFs.
So, for scheduling.
Book #1 needs some rewrites, then I'll do another fine-tooth-comb self-edit, also involving some beta readers. It currently has about 75,000 words and is in pretty decent shape already. At the very least, that one will hit the pre-orders this year.
Book #2 is currently at 92,000 words and I'm at the stage where I need to fill in all the square brackets and do that first self-edit where I begin cutting the empty words, repetitions and info dumps that I needed to get through the book, but they've served their purpose now. So I expect that one will end up somewhere around 80,000-90,000 words. I think I can beat it into shape before the end of the year, too.
Book #3 is plotted out, and I don't know how long it'll be. I thought both books #1 and #2 would be no more than 50-60k, so if the pattern repeats, it might end up being 75-90k too. I have lovely characters and I look forward to spending more time with them - always a good sign. Since that needs to be written, I feel it might be more of a 2025 thing.
After this, things are much more up in the air. There's a mostly written book in the Witches of London series that just needs some scenes and a deep editorial scrub. Basically, I could get this ready to publish if I can find 2-3 weeks of mostly uninterrupted good brain time. Maybe another (early) 2025 thing.
The day job is the main reason I can't plan past December. I'm happy at the company, they're happy with me, and I've had some great "getting to know you/when is your contract over" chats with other team heads who might soon be looking to fill positions. Nothing fixed yet, but I might end up rejoining the "rat race" (though I really don't feel like a rat there). There's also the option that they'll renew the contract by another few months - apparently that company likes to keep contractors they like around until something permanent opens up. Apparently contractors staying 2-3 years and then joining properly is a thing.
If I leave, these timelines will shift, of course. Other things I want to finish up:
Book #4 (paranormal historical) stands at 45k right now and needs to re-written before I can finish it off. I made some real rookie mistakes there that I need to fix and that affect the very structure of the book. Live and learn. I think it'll be awesome when it's fixed.
Book #5 (historical) is currently just a 20-year-old idea but I feel like it's time to get it written. I know I have at least half an outline and a strong elevator pitch. I've made large books with less.
Books #6-#9 (epic fantasy), all of them are half-plotted and I have strong main characters driving the action. It feels like this series will be pretty long and take probably 1-2 years to write in total.
Anything beyond that is just a twinkle in the back of my brain right now, so probably not worth talking about yet.
TL;DR: 2 books coming this year, 2 more in 2025, pipeline after that's looking good.
