Things have been quiet on the blog as I have spent the last several months working on finishing up two different projects.
The most recent was the full draft for "Of Shade and Soul" the forthcoming sequel to "Of Lips and Tongue". We don't have an official release date yet, but we're aiming for early January. (Assuming my health cooperates. The carpal tunnel issues I've been struggling with are slowly improving, but I am not back to where I was earlier in the year. And, as with most stress injuries, rest is the best cure when it starts to flare up.)
So, look for updates on the release date, plus a cover reveal coming in December.
I've also finished up a second draft of "Survivor" - the epic post-apocalyptic SF book I've been working on since the spring. I finished the first draft mid-summer, but after taking a step back and talking to my agent, I realized I was cutting the story short. So, I did another pass to flesh out some of the areas I had glossed over in the madness that is a first draft and in the process added another 46k words to the manuscript.
*insert desperate laughter here*
The latest revision pass is now tightening up the action in the last third of the book in prep to put it out on sub. But, with current events in the US the past couple of weeks, I was reminded of this sequence from an earlier section of the book. It has been on my mind a lot so I thought I would share it with y'all.
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Izzy checked the compass heading, fluttered the pedals underfoot to adjust course. "We are doing the right thing, aren't we, Reese?"
"Pursuing the talisman?"
"Protecting humanity." Her cheeks flushed, guilty.
"Ah." He swung his legs over the edge of the hatchway and looked down at her. "Are you tired, Isabenne?"
"Yes." She frowned. "But that's not... none of this is new, is it? The war. The politics. You've seen it all before."
He rubbed his head, thoughtful. "There is nothing new under the sun. But it is not continually worse. Not unless we cease to try."
"Is that we're doing? Trying to hold back the centuries of all the worst of humanity in the hope of a few more years that are good?"
"Perhaps."
She could hear the concern in his voice, but refused to look up at him. "Perhaps. Then we are believers after all. Fighting for something that history says we will never reach."
"And what is that, Isabenne?"
"Peace." Her voice cracked and she glared out into the darkness, blinking away tears.
Reese was silent for a while. "Perhaps we are not meant to fight for it."
That made her look up at him, startled. "You think we should surrender?"
He shrugged. "No. I think..." He shook his head. "Not all resistance is war. Maybe we are meant to save humanity some other way."
"Some other way."
He spread his hands. "We are destined to live. If we remember that..." He fell silent again.
She licked her lips. "Maybe." She locked the controls and let her feet swing free. "You should rest. We don't know what tomorrow brings."
Reese sighed. "Aye, captain." He drew his feet up, settling back against the wall of the corridor.
Izzy took a few deep breaths, forcing herself to relax. We are destined to live. She stared out toward the stars twinkling on the horizon. That might be worth fighting for.
