How novel 11

 Raven Manor is moving along well. 43,547 words and 26 chapters. A few more chapters and it will be editing time. 

I edit a bit while I write but after I finish I go back over everything. First with spell check, then I read each chapter singularily and edit. When that's finished I send it to Sharon for a proofread. 

By then I'm tired of it and need a break. :)

How do you edit? Do you use betas? Or do you hire someone for that first edit?

Justice is partially served by Hanlan's reckoning. And Karma's a bitch. 

The Secret is safe for now but too many know about it.  Will they be able to keep it safe until it's Keeper is found? 

Or will the other forces at play snatch it away and bring about darkness to both the humans and the Ruv?

A new tradition

 I saw a good entry the other day and thought I'd share it here because I'm thinking about starting it myself. I don't have kids but I do have some extended family.

Iceland has a tradition called  Jolabokaflod that on Christmas Eve you gift a book and spend the rest of the evening reading it and drinking hot cocoa. I think this is a marvelous idea and a good tradition to start this year. Don't you?

If you're unsure about what book they would like you can get them a book-adjacent gift. I'm of the idea that it's the thought that counts. And readers love everything to do with books.

Maybe a bookshelf and spend the evening putting it together together, then relax with cocoa and cookies or chocolate. Or get them a bookend set and spend some time figuring out where to put them before relaxing with the cocoa and cookies. Maybe a collection of bookmarks if they're always loosing their place or collect them. Look through them and enjoy the cocoa and cookies while you do so.

There are even postcards with novel covers on them, candles that smell like old books or new books, and a a book lamp that looks like a hardback book when closed. There are literally hundred of items to choose from.

So start a new tradition this year.  

Raven Manor is coming along nicely. 40,006 words as of this morning. Tying up loose ends right now. Have a few more chapters to go, then it's edit time. 

How novel 10

 The cover and miscellaneous other things that go into readying it for publishing are done for this book. I plan to do a hardback for it when I publish. A crime drama or mystery just doesn't seem right without it being a hardback. It will cost more but I think it will be worth it.  Though I usually get paperbacks I love hardbacks if I'm going to keep the book. I think they look better on a shelf. And they seem to last longer after repeated reading. 

I'm still rounding the bend and will be nearing the homestretch pretty soon. 36,547 words. 

Got to  have the murder investigation officially still open but pending to be a cold case, tie up loose ends, and figure out what to do with the big secret. And a few small secrets need looking into.

 The secret here is what is inside this book. 

Justice is served.  But was it by human or Ruv law?

Hanlan and Canin will have to do a bit of creative writing to explain why the case ended  as it did--unless providence shines upon them. 

How novel 9

Raven Manor is at 35,006 words. 22 chapters. Rounding the bend and nearing the homestretch.

 A surprise meeting after the confrontation. Is it good or bad? Of course that's in the eye of the beholder. 

Raven Manor's main secret has been revealed by Hanlan. It's not meant to be known to humans, even the Ruv's Chosen. What will happen now?

A bit of history on Raven Manor. 

It was originally called Ruven Manor. And though it is thought to come from England it is actually from Romania. It is unknown why it was moved or even sold because the family it belonged to mysteriously disappeared. 

How novel 8

 Had a bout of writer's block these last few days. Raven Manor is at 33,050 words. 

I'm unsure about the part I'm working on right now. It's not fully formed yet, just vague images. Fire and death. It happened off-screen as it were and some time ago. So how to convey. 

Coming up to the confrontation with the one 'bad guy' or Shilmulo. Shilmulo is a Del Mulanti Ruv that has fallen to the dark. English: a Ghostwolf who turned vampire.

Canin, Hanlan's partner, has revealed two of his secrets. But he has more that he isn't telling. 

Hanlan unveils an ancient secret that the killer wanted for themselves. What will happen now that the secret is revealed?