My work on the novel has resumed.

"But, wait!" You say. "Weren't you done?"

I completed the first draft in February. My intention was to get feedback quickly from a few readers who would receive the entire manuscript, then I'd turn around and make improvements as best I could and ship off the first three chapters by the end of March.

And as is so often the case, one deadline slid into the next, and a month and a half slid by with no action on the novel. First, I was waiting on feedback. Then, I had commitments that slowed me down in digesting the feedback. Then there was getting ready for the Connie Willis event, and then this whole disequilibrium thing (inner-ear balance stuff), and then, the dog ate my schedule. Etc., etc.

Today (Saturday, not Sunday), I finally resumed real work on the novel. Not puttering around work, but the real nitty gritty. I have a solid plan, and a solid deadline. The first three chapters go out on May 15th, no matter how many of my planned improvements to the book I am able to incorporate by then.

I want to thank those of you who have been gently (or not-so-gently) prodding me over the past few weeks to keep the fire lit under this project. The biggest boost has been, and remains, the fact that there are no fewer than *three* television series currently in development for the coming Fall season that are based on a similar premise. As I noted earlier, one of them even shares the same title as my original title for this project. At the same time, an award-winning novel with a similar premise (and a better title than mine) has recently been re-released (it had gone out of print a couple years ago).

It's daunting to consider the possibility that my novel could be viewed as "been there, done that" by the time it comes out. But it's also reassuring to know that the basic premise is sound enough to capture the attention of so many in the industry. Perhaps the timing is right for this kind of novel. Still, it's far better to get this out there now, while the idea's hot. I've already let my deadline slide from January to February to March to May 15th. I can't let it slide any further.

So I won't. The work has resumed with the throttle at full.

Wish me success!