Almost there...

...just wanted to drop in and give a status update.

My editor still has the book and she is nearly done with her notes. It's taken her longer than either of us anticipated, but I asked her to go through it and get as nasty as she can. It's very much not her style of book, which is why she's my perfect editor. I don't like having my stuff reviewed by someone who understands the genre. By giving it to someone who doesn't live in my genre, I'm able to get perspective on things I wouldn't otherwise.

It also helps that I married my editor, who knows me quite well, but very much has her own mind when it comes to what she thinks of stories and writing. She is, herself, quite an excellent writer, even if she functions on a whole other plane in terms of what she prefers.

I've always told people that she and I cross over on about 50% of what we like in storytelling, which is a perfect ratio. We're able to each live in our own worlds, but share space just as often. It's a great arrangement, and one that I wish I saw in more marriages around me.

As for the cover, I've been dragging my heels on getting it done, but I know what it's going to be, and it should only take me a few hours. I think.

Otherwise, while I play the waiting game, I've been busy with work and school, as well as development on the next project. I have some opportunities on the table, but have had some difficulty deciding on which one to take up and run with. I've had discussions with some musician friends and former bandmates on a couple different projects, I've been solicited for a screenplay, and I'm itching to write another book. A lot of this breaks down into what I want to do vs. what I should do (in terms of my career as an artist.) I'll kick it around for another month or so. Depending on what I decide to do, I may or may not be able to share a lotta details. If I can't say much, I'm sorry, but I learned the hard way, a few years back, it's better just to keep your damn mouth shut on the internet when it comes to your artistic pursuits. This is just one of the reasons the book has been delayed for nearly 10 years.

Anyway, in a perfect world, the book comes out in August or September. Ideally, it would be in the middle of August, but I've learned to never underestimate the power of my own self-doubt. This is my first novel, finished 10 years ago, and there are aspects of it that I dislike intensely, but I've left them unchanged because I want to be true to the writer I was back then. It's kind of like granting one last honor to my old self. It's a good book, but there are elements and structure that I was experimenting with at the time, and some of them worked beautifully and some of them come off as a bit awkward. At the same time, some of these are almost like load-bearing walls in this book, and to pull them out would collapse the book in on itself.

It seems like I'm apologizing for the book in advance. I'm not. I think it's great, but I'm also aware that I've left things in that keep it from being the single greatest achievement in literature.

Lastly, I'm thinking of doing something like 'bonus features' for it a la DVD/BD. This would consist of 'deleted scenes' prefaced by me explaining where they would've gone and why they were cut, as well as some interview stuff talking about the evolution of the series and this entry in particular. It all sounds great to me, since no author can resist the temptation to self-aggrandize, but I want to see if there's any kind of opinion on this.

Really, it just seems like a way to do something new with the medium. This is a medium that has suffered under the painfully oppressive yoke of publishers who have carefully protected it from any kind of interesting experimentation, and I'm finally in a position to start trying new things.

I'm also thinking of some post-release stuff, too, like maybe a .pdf file for book owners that walks through the reader back through the book and talks about where particular scenes came from or how they were changed and why.

I dunno. I'm just thinking of things I'd love to see for books I really enjoyed, and it seems like a good way to keep people interested until the next book is out (it will not be another 10 years, you have my word.)

So, yeah, it'll be interesting to see what people think of the book.

What's it about, you ask? Let's see if I can do this totally spoiler-free...

...it's 2001. Taran Walker is 23 and is reeling from catching the girl of his dreams with another man. He has failed in nearly every meaningful way in life, and is living in an abandoned halfway house with some friends as he ponders his next scheme. Meanwhile, there is a convergence of souls, some young and some ancient, in St. Louis, and though he doesn't realize it, Taran is at the center of it. He is the one to finally lead the ultimate rebellion and throw off the shackles that have held humanity back since the beginning of time. He will have to fight his way through underworlds and parallel universes, he will battle vampires and rival gods, as well as their lethal servants, but not without the help of a rather interesting mix of friends and allies. From gun-toting dwarves to magic-infused vampires to dope-peddling succubi, Taran will be aided by all manner of creatures and friends. It's the perfect blend of ancient fantasy archetypes and settings and real-world sensibilities and settings. Discover the world you never knew existed but for which you secretly yearned.

Oh, and it's called 'The Endless Wars: The Descent.' That's not the final blurb, but just something I threw together real quick.

Anyway, this is much longer than I intended. So much for my 'quick update.' Anyway, lemme know what ya think of anything I posted here, particularly the extra stuff for the book.

Actually, lemme know, too, if that quick blurb I posted at all excites you.

Awesome. Peace out.

-Blaine