While this post title doesn't have quite the same impact as Ray Bradbury's opening line in FAHRENHEIT 451, it nevertheless captures my mood this week.
The week leading up to a book release is busier than normal, to the point where I'm usually focusing solely on preparing for launch instead of writing the next book. You ideally have most things prepared for launch well-ahead of time (cover art, formatting, advertising, etc.), but when you're running on a fairly rapid release schedule — 4 to 5 novels a year — some pieces of the checklist are inevitably left to the last minute.
I had to take most of last week off to proof THE MISBEGOTTEN after it came back from my editor, set up paperback formatting (which is still not complete), finish the blurb for THE MISCREANT, fiddle with the blurb for THE MISBEGOTTEN, finish this website, and complete various little tasks (setting up a Facebook page, Twitter, etc.).
This week I was quite happy to return to the artistic side of writing and get away from the business side for a bit. Although I do think the brief sabbatical helped reinvigorate me for the approach that is the middle of a novel. I'm almost halfway into the third and final book of AN ASSASSIN'S BLADE trilogy, which is where things tend to slow down. Not so much narration-wise, but rather from my point of view. The writing simply takes longer. I still hit my ~2,000 words a day goal most days, but instead of those words coming in three or four hours, they come in six or seven.
I anticipate having the book complete by early April. While it will go up for pre-order alongside the release of THE MISCREANT, it won't be released until ~June 15th. It'll need to be graced by the pen of my editor so you're not reading a hot mess. Or at least a lukewarm mess; I like to think my own revision process turns down the temperature a little.
The MISCREANT releases April 25th (and quite possibly a week or so sooner — I'll know that relatively soon) and is available for pre-order now.