Dear Readers,
The Case of the Missing Author
Yes, indeed, 5 months in the Writer’s Cave. And I’d better have something to show for it, right?
First of all, then, thank you for your patience with the long silence. Second, what happened? I was seized by first one, then another, variety of metaphorical fever. The former struck about two weeks before the Bookbub Featured Deal in the summer that resulted in some 16,000 downloads of Amanda Cadabra and The Hidey-Hole Truth, book 1 in the urban fantasy cozy mystery series.
A certain miscalculation that turned out to be a happy accident led to a secret plan that went into operation over the next two months. If you are a subscriber, you will know the precise what and why of this (you can join them here or write to me in person and I shall confide the details to you sub rosa).
Why Can’t I Tell You Right Now?
The reason is that there are 100 hours of work to be done to bring it to completion, so I’d rather let you know when, at least, it is underway. And when will that be? Now, I may be able to begin once this sequel is published. On the other hand, something is brewing that I will reveal to you further down. But …
What I Can Tell You …
… and what really counts is, no sooner had this fever or current of activity abated than a new one was carrying me forward: the next sequel in the series. Book 9 already had 20,000 words, but there was a long way to go. However, more began to come to me, gathering momentum, and about 3 weeks ago, it reached first-draft completion with over 90,000 words.
At once, the first of my four editing passes began. This one involves putting each chapter through a favourite app of writers: Grammarly, for spelling, grammar checking and more. It is intense and involves hundreds of decisions. Nevertheless, in days, that was done.
Milestone in the Dark
Pass 2 began, and this morning, before dawn, I reached, yes, a milestone: halfway through. This pass involves printing out the manuscript and reading it in a different place from where I wrote it, so, not at my desk or any café table where some of it was penned (actually, pencilled, but you know I mean). So far, this checking pass has been conducted on my sofa or at another café.
So, dear readers, those are the fruits of my retreat into hermitage, and I hope you are now appeased and consider it worth the wait.
What Next?
Pass 3 consists of reading the book on my iPad to see it through your eyes, unless (like me) you’re a paperback reader. Marking up corrections on these passes isn’t the whole job, of course; they have to be typed into the text. It is longgggg. The final pass is reading it aloud into a microphone. This is not the audiobook recording, by the way, just a means of presenting the text to myself in a new way to spot any tweaks that are needed.
Once that little lot is accomplished, off it flies to The Four Horsemen of the Apocalapse (key beta group) to go under their magnifying glass, and to other beta readers for their checks and feedback. Those amendments are added to the manuscript. Once that’s done, off it goes for formatting for paperback, and I begin the building of the Mighty Launch Machine.
Cut To The Chase?
‘When do we get it?’ I hear you ask. Yes, that is the question. I hope to publish the new book in the spring. But I say, advisedly, hope. However, along the way, there will be updates on where we’re at with it at various stages, then the title reveal, a partial cover reveal, full cover, trailer and chapter 1, all brought to you in full glorious colour!
‘You Were Going To Tell Us?’
Ah yes, the secret plan. Why may I not be able to get on with it once this new book is out, so that I can get it to a stage to tell you about? Well, it is because book 10 has started to come to me. Most of the plot has already arrived in my head. And yes, that is how it always feels, rather than my ‘dreaming it up’. One moment it’s not there, and the next it is starting to emerge, to flow.
So, the question is …which fork of the river to follow once book 9 is in your hands? At this point, it could be either. If you have a definite opinion about going on to book 10, then please let me know. What you think matters a great deal to me.
Next
Meanwhile, I shall be posting updates on social media. However, to be certain that Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube or X will let you know, they want you to follow the page (Holly Bell’s in this case) and ideally like a post or two already there, to show them that, yes, you would really like to know. So, please, send up a flare on your social platform of choice so I can keep you in the loop. The way to stay, not just up to date, but ahead of the curve, is to join the newsletter where the juicy stuff is.
The editing has slowed somewhat for Christmas preparations and execution. I must admit to having scandalously taken an entire day off yesterday. But operations have resumed, and we are currently on course.
Hoping you have had a satisfying Christmas or Hanukkah or solstice, or any other way you enjoy celebrating the season and the beginning of longer days, and wishing you …
Happy New Year! And, as always, happy reading,
Holly
PS If you want to start the series now:
