Eight pages, guys.
Eight pages until I’m done this *expletive deleted* round of revisions. There are still a few changes to make in the last chapter, but the end (or rather, The End) is so close I can smell it.
And folks, it smells goooood.
I can’t type fast enough to keep up with all of the exciting that’s happening right now. I know how it ends, and I’m still getting all twitchy. It’s a great feeling.
Know what else is a great feeling? This:
Last night, my brother called me. This doesn’t happen often, but wasn’t entirely unexpected, since we’re staying with him and his adorable family when we visit Ontario later this month. But one of the reasons he called this time was to inform me that my sister-in-law had got a hold of my book. It was an old version, the first one I sent out to volunteer victims readers for feedback, but which my brother hadn’t had time to read (true fact: no one in my family had read it up to this point). I got quite nervous when he said that.
Verdict?
Apparently I have two weeks to finish the next book so she can read that one, too.
Yaaaaay! I mean, that’s impossible for me, but that’s a great reaction!
Gotta love when that happens. It wasn’t just that someone said that they enjoyed the story and wanted more, but that it came out of the blue, from someone who had no obligation to read or to give me feedback. I wasn’t waiting to hear what she thought, because I didn’t know she was reading it. If she’d hated it, she could have said nothing and told my brother to chuck it in the garbage. Instead, he’s going to read it. I told him to wait for the revised version, but he’s thinking about reading both and letting me know what he thinks of the changes.
Wow.
So that’s one more person who’s going to beta read for me when this thing gets wrapped up. For anyone else who’s waiting, the plan is to finish what I’m doing now (probably tomorrow, if I can sleep tonight and not get up to write), then go through backwards to polish everything up right nice n’ shiny, and then I’ll be in touch to see if you’re still interested and to find out what format you want it in.
And then I’ll hyperventilate until people get back to me, and then I’ll probably cry a bit, and then I’ll get back to work.
Sounds like a plan?
disregard the prologue 
July 11th, 2013 at 12:29 pm
Sounds like a plan 🙂 That’s exciting! WTG!
July 11th, 2013 at 12:36 pm
Congratulations to you, on all accounts. We all knew you were amazing already:) Why is it taking you so long to catch up to what we already knew?
July 11th, 2013 at 12:37 pm
All the hugs and squishes for you, Ionia, even though you just called me clueless. You’re too sweet. 😉
July 11th, 2013 at 12:58 pm
You are only clueless in regards to your own greatness, which befuddles the rest of us, so you still have the upper hand. (take a bow lady.)
July 11th, 2013 at 1:40 pm
Stop, or I’ll have to bake you cookies.
July 11th, 2013 at 1:41 pm
Cookie?
July 11th, 2013 at 1:44 pm
Yes. If people are too nice to me, I threaten them with cookies. I’m vicious like that. GRR!
July 11th, 2013 at 1:45 pm
I must keep being nice.
July 11th, 2013 at 12:48 pm
Awesome Kate! Congratulations!
July 11th, 2013 at 1:46 pm
Kate, I am just past the half-way point oif a hard edit on my first manuscript. I completed the original version in january with grand plans to win the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award. My critique Partner/wife found lots of issues so now I am cleaning it up.It is encouraging to hear you talk about seeing the end.
Are you still recruiting folks to give your manuscript a look? I did so for an author recently and added reviews all over the place to try to help her with sales as her book released on June 21st.
July 11th, 2013 at 1:52 pm
I can always use eyes, particularly for after the revisions that are destined to come once this bunch of betas are finished skewering my life’s work (God bless them all). I wouldn’t want to impose by asking them to do it again…
Glad you’re feeling encouraged. This isn’t my first round of revisions, but it’s been a lot bigger than any before, since I decided to just gut the thing until it really shaped up. I applaud you for heading into revisions when you were planning on being finished; I think putting things on hold is the hardest and often the best thing we can do for our work. But yes, seeing at least some kind of ending in sight is AWESOME. 🙂
July 11th, 2013 at 1:53 pm
I am willing to read and give you feedback if you would be kind enough to return the favor on mine.
July 11th, 2013 at 1:54 pm
Sounds like a plan. 🙂
July 11th, 2013 at 5:47 pm
Gratz on your edit progress! Feels good right? An even better story is coming forth? You’re making your story shine like a diamond, be proud. 🙂
July 11th, 2013 at 8:01 pm
That must have been such an awesome phone call. Good for you!!! Congrats on being at ‘The End!’ 🙂
July 12th, 2013 at 7:51 am
Very, very cool! Reader love, especially of the unexpected variety, is the awesomesauce of life. Yes. Awesomesauce. Which will also be used when you are done polishing. 🙂
July 12th, 2013 at 9:48 am
Awesomesauce for a 10 lb bar of dark chocolate? 🙂
July 12th, 2013 at 10:09 am
Oh yeah!
July 12th, 2013 at 1:25 pm
Kate, wonderful post. You caught the excitement of being near the finish line. I know exactly what you mean. By the way, that’s great about bro and wife. My family doesn’t say much about what I write so I’ve never been sure they’ve even read anything I’ve written. A few months ago, one bro and wife visited. And after they’d been there a few days, bro said, “I forgot to tell you that I got my first Kindle and downloaded your book [published 2012]. And I love it. I couldn’t wait to get back to it so I could finish it.” My sister-in-law said, “My favorite book is [a book I published in 2006]. That was fantastic.” I had no idea. Thanks for this post and congrats on your passionate accomplishments.
July 12th, 2013 at 2:03 pm
Congrats, Kate!!! And what a great reaction–she wants more, more, more! Like Ionia mentioned, we’ve been telling you this for a while.