Writing Update: Closing In on Draft 1

Hi all, thought I'd update everyone on what's going on with Book 3/&4 and how things are looking.

I've written the first draft of the manuscript out to Chapter 36 and the word count puts it approaching 700 pages. Okay, that's long, I admit it. Also, I'm plotting the rest of the book out to the end and it looks like I'm going to wind up hitting somewhere around Chapter 44 or so. That's not good news for keeping the end of Cylus, Nero, Ichiro, and Cygni's story to 3 books, but it can be split up into books 3 & 4.

This isn't said and done, so to speak. I still have to start edits which could wind up cutting down the length and possibly keeping it to a very long book 3. I'll know better when I get into it, so we'll see. Part of me is sort of hoping it winds up being 2 books, because then I get to ask Michael Lam for 2x the cover art! (I'm a fan, what can I say).


How does this affect the production schedule?

Well, I'm hoping to put out a book by this Holiday Season/December. Is that likely? Not sure. Editing something of this length takes some serious time and that might shove the next book out to early 2016 (I hear your collective groan). That's not necessarily the case, but that is the safer time frame for me to share. I'll keep you posted, of course.


Anything have a chance of coming out before then?

Yes, actually. I've been toying with doing a serial story set in the same universe involving different characters. I won't start working on it until I have draft 1 finished, but maybe in the "let it sit" phase for the draft I'll start in on the serial.


Is that something you'd like to see happen? Want some short stories in the Blood Siren/COTOS universe? Let me know in the comments or by email at mformichelli@cygnusorion.com.

Also, if you haven't yet, check out the new style at cygnusorion.com.