It's a juggle out there! ::grins::

Much as I love seeing pages pile up as a story goes from inside my head into words for others to read, I ADORE what comes next. For a new writer, yet to finish -- and we've all been there, many times -- my advice is to rocket through to an ending, then start enjoying the rest of it. Revision, lovely peaceful productive revision ...

Except ... it's not always peaceful!

One of the consequences of writing for a living is that every few years, books in varied stages plunge back on my desk within the same month -- even the same DAY! Egad.

As now. I call it the "juggle."

The point comes when I'm no longer the only one working on my stuff. There's suddenly the folks who copyedit, who proofread, who design the pages, who present to the sales forces, the sales force themselves (love you guys!) all the way to people posting preorder information online. Did I mention reviewers who'd appreciate SOME advance reading time? Stores ... it goes on. Multitudes!

Whew. Making it a jungle out there when more than one book is involved -- hence the "juggle."

No more X following Y in the process for one book, but about who needs what and when.

I confess, I love this stuff.

Case in point. Watch the books fly through the air, folks.

Today, CATCH! I'm continuing my tidy/polish pass on A PLAY OF SHADOW. This weekend, I'll finish the maps for that book. TOSS! to production.
Next week, my editor will be reading before contacting me CATCH!! with any revisions necessary. Next week, same week, page proofs for SPECIES IMPERATIVE arrive for my read & correct. CATCH! I'll revise PLAY based on my editor's feedback. TOSS! While that final draft is with the copyeditor to do the SI proofs because that's coming out first. Done those, TOSS!! Back to check copyedits on the galley pages. CATCH!!
Interspersed with getting serious research mileage into REUNIFICATION. TOSS!CATCH!
While prepping for treats online for you. (Did I mention a con, Ad Astra, plus a workshop, in April? TOSS! ...almost a fumble... CATCH!)
Dizzy yet? I may be.
There's the TOSS! of copyedits back for PLAY, then page proofs ... in other words, back to X then Y. (Although very very quickly.)

It's all good. Being past the blank page step in any story is liberating. Seeing words become real pages is glorious!
All that TOSS! is in order to CATCH!! those lovely new books. Ahhhhhhh.

Maybe next spring, I'll just have X to do before Y again. Or not. ::grins:: Who needs to be straightforward when one can juggle?

PS For the curious, the covers for these books were done months ago. In anticipation of the desk plunge. Whew!