Final Revisions for Book 3 Completed!

 Welcome everyone!

I'm so glad to finally share an update with you. The pandemic has hit us all in different ways. Isolation, confusion, exhaustion, and more have been our most consistent company these last three years. In the midst of dealing with all of these, I have continued working away at the third book in my Hunter's Rose series.

I am very pleased to announce that all edits are now completed. There will be no major or even minor revisions to the book. The story is complete!

There is just one more step: proofreading. Spellcheckers and grammar checkers have come a long way since they first appeared in the 90's. However, they are no substitute for a trained professional. I cannot stress how important is it to have a human being carefully examine your book to make sure that there is consistency in the spelling of names and use of accents in dialogue. No spell checker that I'm aware of can match the human mind in these instances.

In addition to the pandemic, one of the biggest issues I've faced is not being able to work with the same people who helped me with The Huntsman and the She-Wolf and The Huntsman and the Vampire. I've talked at length about how my interior artist and cover/layout company have gone out of business. These were severe blows to me.

I also thought that my editor would be unable to work with me again. She's recently given birth and launched her own novel at the same time. However, in a surprising and fortunate twist of fate, she was able to edit my book! I'm so grateful to have that consistency. Likewise, the proofreader I previously used has agreed to proofread Book 3! This is absolutely fantastic news. 

For a fantasy novella like mine, familiarity with the names and characters is critical for success. The fact these two women already understand my imagined world and my writing style has made and will make the final correction process so much easier.

Proofreading is the last step of writing. No further changes to the manuscript will be made once that process is done. All that will be left to do is cover, layout, and publishing.

I can't wait to share this book with you. It's going to be great! 

Peace,

-Troy

August Update

Welcome everyone!

I have many great things to share with you today. First, I hope this post finds you safe and well. Do take good care of yourselves during this time. I know circumstances are tough for a lot of folks in my area. I'm with you, in spirit.

Next, I'm making slow but steady progress on Book 03. This time of year is always crazy-busy for me, so the amount of time I can dedicate to writing is reduced. However, fixing the problems highlighted by my esteemed editor are coming along quite nicely. I'm very happy with how the story is shaping out. I know you will be too.

Moreover, I've finally settled on a title for the book! Hooray! I've had three working titles so far. The first got tossed out pretty early, but the other two have stuck with me almost the whole way through the process. Everyone who's read a draft of Book 03 has waffled on which title is best as well. I think my editor cinched it for me. A title has to set the expectations for the book. The title I preferred didn't do that, or rather, it set up the wrong expectations. Therefore, I'll go with my second choice which is really the right choice. There are so many people think the title comes first when writing a book. Often, it's just the opposite. It's the last thing you settle.

In addition to all that, I got to spend some time this past weekend with a very dear old friend. I haven't seen him in nearly six years. He's an intellectual, and the conversations we had were incredibly uplifting. I wish I could have spent days with him discussing literature, writing, history, and philosophy. If there is anyone who can challenge my mind, it is him. His words have renewed my writing spirit, and I can't wait for him to get the third book in my Hunter's Rose series.

Finally, I have one last piece of artwork to get for the interior. I don't know why I'm procrastinating on it. It's simple. Maybe that's the problem. It's such a humble object that I'm not giving it the respect it deserves. Hopefully, in my next update I'll be able to tell you more.

All in all, things are going well in Celandine Valley. I'm still a little nervous about my cover and interior layout. We'll see what happens. Think about me. Pray for me. Send good wishes. I'm definitely going to need them.

Peace,

-Troy

Site Updates are Rolling Out

Welcome everyone!

I've been busy updating my website. I've gotten links to The Huntsman and the Vampire and the Hunter's Rose series all fixed up on the right hand column now. I'm really happy with how it looks. I can't wait to have the whole series over there. It'll be amazing when it's done.

Also, I'm still going back through all the old posts on this site and adding tags to them. This way it'll be easier to search for various topics. For instance, if you wanted to find all the posts that have the character roses on them, you could just click that label at the bottom of one and the site will generate a list for you.

It's a slow process since I'm also working on the audio book and my health has been less than perfect lately. However, I'm getting things the way I want them and I think that will improve everyone's experience when it's all done.

Be on the lookout for more updates down the road! Exciting things are coming :)

Peace,

-Troy