The end of the waiting, I mean. This series has at least two more installments in the works.

I am a little embarrassed that I took so long to get Eye of the Void out, but I have my reasons. This installment will be one long flashback, more or less, and as I get closer and closer to completion I’ve realized that a lot of these characters are either dead or about to die by the time Children of Fire begins. I feel kinda bad about it. I love these people. Eye of the Void feels like my last chance to let some of these characters live a little bit, so this story is going to be around 10-15,000 words longer than I had planned.

Does George R.R. Martin ever feel this level of guilt, I wonder? Are there other authors who agonize over people who have only ever existed in their minds? There needs to be some sort of Author Support Group for those of us with a high kill streak. Maybe a hotline.

As my tentative release date approaches (March 31st, barring more chapter ideas) I am starting to worry that it will be terrible. Maybe the flashback thing was a stupid idea. Maybe my readers have been waiting to hear what happens next, not what happened already, and they’ll be really upset now. I’m sorry, imaginary angry readers. Please forgive me.

One part I am particularly excited about is all of the world-building I got to do. Reading about other worlds is probably the biggest reason I read fantasy and science fiction. The Ra’Din culture is expanded upon quite a  bit. There are a lot of little details that I hope people notice and will want to discuss one day, because I can’t wait to talk about them.

So today will be the day I finish this draft. By tonight some of my beta readers will begin reading. I’m trying to ignore the dread and instead focus on fun things, like the cover art. I know exactly what it will be. Stay tuned for the reveal!