Greetings gentle readers,
You are probably wondering what is happening with my upcoming book Twixtmas.
Well, strap in. It’s a long story.
Originally, I planned to do a novella-length story, set after book one, and leading into the future book three. It was scheduled for release early December (before Christmas). Well, that is didn’t happen. Obviously. And I need to explain why.
What follows is a tale of woe, a tale of pain, a tale of frustration, and a plead for your patience, and my ongoing apologies.
The original plan:
As I said, I had planned a novella length story, about 70-80 pages long (comparable to Cogs and Conspiracies and Blood Ties). Pre-orders were priced accordingly at AU$18 (incl postage within Australia), with the final book price expected to be around AU$20 (incl post), and the book box pre-order price of AU$80 (also including postage), and post-release price of AU$85.
Those of you who have already pre-ordered will still get your book (or book box) at the original price.
Why it’s changed:
You’ve most likely seen my blog or social medica posts about my mental health journey and chronic health issues. For those who don’t know, I have PTSD and anxiety, have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, migraine, and several other health issues. This year, I’ve also had heart issues (and was just recently cleared – yay!). I’ve also finally admitted I need a walking cane on bad days. The most annoying part is any, or all, of these can flare up after events, when triggered and, worst of all, without notice.
And it sucks.
Big time.
After a run of three events in (end of ) October, November, and early December (well, it was my own fault), I hit a wall. I had a pain flare that meant I was out of commission for almost three weeks. I pushed myself to catch up and managed to claw back about two weeks.
Then summer hit early, with a vengence (wrapped in a prickly blanket of anxiety). Both are triggers for my fibromyalgia. Cue another three weeks of hell! I haven’t had a flare this bad in years. I was unable to sit, stand, get in and out of the shower, or lie down without assistance. I’m just grateful my Dearheart is understanding; he acted as a part-time carer for the first two weeks. (He’s a keeper.)
After crying in pain til 2am, I ended up at the doctor. The meds had my loopy, unable to drive (and not a legally-responsible adult for a week).
By now I was almost five weeks behind schedule.
A mini-heatwave heralded another pain flare, which is ongoing. I’m currently in my fourth week of this pain flare. I have good days and bad days, and have to limit my time sitting at the computer.
Where I’m up to now:
I managed to finish the mammoth structural edit before the second wave hit. I’m now working my first pass of major line edits. (This usually takes 2-3 passes), and have one chapter left. Then I start all over again.
If you’ve pre-ordered the book or the 12 days of Twixtmas book box, then you should have received three updates by now explaining each set back and updated information on the story.
Chapters 1 to 4 are with my editor.
Chapters 5-11 are with my alpha reader.
I will hopefully be finishing rewrite #2a before Christmas, and will be starting the next rewrite pass after a few days break (to try to squash the current pain flare).
Book Art: Pencil sketches are done. They just need to be digitally inked.
The Good News:
Looks like the book will be longer than first expected. Here’s the figures:
- Original expected length: 17,000 words (Novella length: approx 70-80 pages).
- Original chapters: 6
- Current length: 47, 579 words (still with a chapter to go).
- Recalculated expected length: 45-50,000 words (Novel length: approx 170-200 pages). (Note: This count may change slightly with the next round of rewrites.) This is comparable to Doctor Jack & Other Tales in length.
- Expected chapters: 12-13
- Book Art: there will be 3 original (drawn by me) images in the paperback.
What this means to you, Dear Reader:
This means the book will be more than twice the length I had originally envisioned. (The characters made me do it! There’s also a few easter eggs and hints for book three. 😉 Spoilers!). I’ll need to recalculate print costs for the larger book before publication day, so you’ll see an increase in the book and book box costs soon.
Patrons will receive the first copies, followed by pre-orders. I hope to have these posted a week or two before publication. Those who have already pre-ordered paperbacks or book boxes will have the original cost honoured (and thank you for your patience) are getting value for your money.
My sincere apologies for the delay. I will keep you all posted.
Rescheduled publication date:
Watch this space.
Seriously, it doesn’t look like the book will be out til January, 2025.
Thank you, again for your understanding and patience.
Further information about Twixtmas:
Twixtmas will be available in paperback and eBook. Book art will be in the paperback only.