Return to 1906
I’ll be scarce online for the next while. I have resumed work on Breath of Earth, my 1906 alt-history steampunk novel. I haven’t worked on it since last October. It ended up on the back burner because of the contract deadline for Clockwork Crown (the sequel book for Clockwork Dagger). As I’m now waiting for my revision letter, this is a good time to switch steampunk worlds.
I’m in what I’d call later stage revisions on BoE–I’m way past the rough draft, but I’m still engaged in world-building tweaks that are threatening to break my brain.
That’s why I’m doing this post right now, you see. I need a rest or my brain will burst.
These kinds of revision are daunting. Honestly, I’ve been scared of this book for months. I feel a lot of pressure to get the history as close to accurate as possible, even in an alternate version of Earth, and the book delves into heavy racial issues. I don’t take that responsibility lightly. I’ve probably read somewhere near 40 books in research, with a physical stack waiting to be read and I don’t know how many more on my iPad. I didn’t work on the novel for over six months, but I didn’t stop reading for it.
My deadline to finish this is right near the beginning of June, and I already know I’ll need to read the manuscript over several times. Plus, there’s general life stuff to distract me, like the fact my son only has one week of school left. *whimper*
Good thing I love this book, though I kinda hate it right now, too.
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