That will teach me. I’ve had enough life experience to know I shouldn’t promise to meet a publishing deadline until my manuscripts are complete. On the last blog, though, I didn’t have any doubt we’d be able to cross the finish line ahead of schedule. With The 3rd Brother completed and The Last Brothers so near to done, I’d made my pronouncement without a twinge of fear.
The best laid plans of a somewhat scattered writer, eh?
We were having such fun with the last story that I wondered if we should extend it a little. I wanted us to introduce a love interest for one of the series least lovable characters. I’d rather not share her name for now. (Oh, if you must know, it was Grace Franecki.) Then, possibly because I didn’t want to leave the Wetherford world, I suggested we find a mate for one of the story’s most deplorable characters. That needs to remain a secret for the moment. (Jane Dixon.) When I wondered if the community might somehow find a girlfriend for the unpleasant Doctor Randolph Fleming, Glynn decided to speak up.
“What about Halloween?” he asked.
“One of my favorite holidays.” He knew this. Every year, I fully embrace the sights and silliness of October 31st.
“The series was supposed to be concluded by then.”
“We decided not to publish until everything was completely wrapped.”
“The way we’re going, The Brothers will never be done.” That’s what we call the series: The Brothers. Glynn continued, “The last manuscript is the longest of any of them. It’s twice as long as the first story and we’re not close to done. Maybe we should take another look at the original outline.”
“But Grace –”
“In the outline, she doesn’t have her own romance. One day, we can write that story.”
“And Jane –!”
“She deserved everything she got. We can redeem her some other day.”
I hadn’t said anything, but I was aware that Flora and the McCown brothers were barely in these new adventures. I said, “It’s going to take a lot of editing.”
“You’re a good editor.” As if that was going to get him off the hook. If I had to suffer, he’d feel the pain, too.
So, we started editing. Then the computer – well, you can probably guess, if you’ve read the subject line on the blog. The machine didn’t actually explode, but the hard drive is no longer among us. When it went, it took the latest version of the last novella, but we had most of that saved. Not all, but most, and I now move our daily work into the cloud. Losing the hard drive also took the completed covers to Book Five and Six away. Those weren’t saved, not in a format I can access. It’s a bother, but not insurmountable.
As it stands, The Last Brothers is shorter than before but remains our longest story of the series. It isn’t complete, but oh so close. For anyone who’s peeking in to see what’s next (and thank you especially, Annabella), I apologize for missing my deadline and I appreciate your patience. Thank you.
And, since it is the season, may your holidays be happy!
The best laid plans of a somewhat scattered writer, eh?
We were having such fun with the last story that I wondered if we should extend it a little. I wanted us to introduce a love interest for one of the series least lovable characters. I’d rather not share her name for now. (Oh, if you must know, it was Grace Franecki.) Then, possibly because I didn’t want to leave the Wetherford world, I suggested we find a mate for one of the story’s most deplorable characters. That needs to remain a secret for the moment. (Jane Dixon.) When I wondered if the community might somehow find a girlfriend for the unpleasant Doctor Randolph Fleming, Glynn decided to speak up.
“What about Halloween?” he asked.
“One of my favorite holidays.” He knew this. Every year, I fully embrace the sights and silliness of October 31st.
“The series was supposed to be concluded by then.”
“We decided not to publish until everything was completely wrapped.”
“The way we’re going, The Brothers will never be done.” That’s what we call the series: The Brothers. Glynn continued, “The last manuscript is the longest of any of them. It’s twice as long as the first story and we’re not close to done. Maybe we should take another look at the original outline.”
“But Grace –”
“In the outline, she doesn’t have her own romance. One day, we can write that story.”
“And Jane –!”
“She deserved everything she got. We can redeem her some other day.”
I hadn’t said anything, but I was aware that Flora and the McCown brothers were barely in these new adventures. I said, “It’s going to take a lot of editing.”
“You’re a good editor.” As if that was going to get him off the hook. If I had to suffer, he’d feel the pain, too.
So, we started editing. Then the computer – well, you can probably guess, if you’ve read the subject line on the blog. The machine didn’t actually explode, but the hard drive is no longer among us. When it went, it took the latest version of the last novella, but we had most of that saved. Not all, but most, and I now move our daily work into the cloud. Losing the hard drive also took the completed covers to Book Five and Six away. Those weren’t saved, not in a format I can access. It’s a bother, but not insurmountable.
As it stands, The Last Brothers is shorter than before but remains our longest story of the series. It isn’t complete, but oh so close. For anyone who’s peeking in to see what’s next (and thank you especially, Annabella), I apologize for missing my deadline and I appreciate your patience. Thank you.
And, since it is the season, may your holidays be happy!
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