January is the New December

Not really. But I had hoped to have published the Stewards sequel by the end of the year, and now it's looking like it will be the end of January.  I finally heard back from my editor. December proved to be even more busy for her than she had expected, but she will be starting on her review of The Dungeons of Cetahl next Monday, and is expecting to be done by January 20. 

In the meantime, I will focus on finding a graphic artist to do the cover and touch up the map that my cousin created. I am half-tempted to purchase Adobe Creative Suite software (last year I downloaded a trial version and found myself tinkering with the cover the graphic artist created)...but it is not a cheap software by any stretch of the imagination.  If only I had won the Mega Millions lottery...but I suppose I should have purchased a ticket if I really wanted to win. Oh well.

I am thinking of entering Amazon's Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) contest again, assuming they hold the contest this year. I didn't get very far in the contest last year, and I have no reason to believe I will get any further this year, but I figure it can't hurt. Besides, I have updated my pitch to a point where I'm almost satisfied with it (and that, I assure you, was no simple feat).  I think I enjoy the ABNA forums more than anything though; I've learned so much from my fellow authors.

I am also going to try my hand at submitting queries to traditional publishers. Not for the Stewards series, but for a children's book series I started years ago: Tucker Beagle, Pet Detective. The first book in the series is "The Case of the Missing Sock."  Inspired by my first four-legged "baby" Tucker (who will turn 12 in a few days!) and my umpteenth experience of losing yet another sock in the laundry, the book is geared towards first or second graders. Who knows if it will ever be picked up by a publisher...I just know that I cannot self-publish this series because it needs an illustrator, and I cannot afford one on my own.

I suppose I would be remiss if I did not admit to my New Year's Resolutions. I don't think they change much from year to year:

1. Write More
2. Drink Less
3. Save More
4. Eat Less (Especially Sweets)
5. Work Out More
6. Yell Less

Happy New Year!