You are now reading this in the voice of Professor Farnsworth, from Futurama!

In all seriousness:

Thank you, Richard's journal and mildly altered senses! The first draft of the first chapter is complete!

*confetti*

I like how this is turning out. I also liked Richard's observation after he asks Delilah on a date right after meeting her, and she accepts--


That’s the modern girl for you. They grow up being told, “Don’t talk to strangers, don’t talk to strangers,” and then you tell them fairy tales where strange necrophile princes are falling in love with comatose girls of sixteen, tops, who they’ve never met before, and you call them things like “my little princess” and encourage them to play dress-up as royalty.

And you expect them not to talk to strangers when they grow up?

Huh. All right, then. Works for me.


IT'S SO TRUE, THOUGH.

Also, I have fantastic news: today was my last day at Barnes & Noble, and I got a new job as a freelance writer! I'm to deliver ten articles in the next three months, I'm very excited! I have to look more into the payment--I'm sure it won't be too high--but I'm still very, very happy.

As a character technique, and because Richard is such a lively presence in my writing, I've decided to give him his own blog.

[link]

He really didn't want a title. Like, really. The idea of having to have one pissed him off.

Living characters are so hard to work with. They're more fun, and when they work, they work. But Richard is a serial killer, a paranoid sociopath who does countless drugs and sleeps maybe ten hours every two weeks.

So because it's so hard to write directly from him (the novel is stream-of-consciousness), I've decided to let him unfold the story, himself, on his blog--once it's done, I'll rewrite it as the novel. Think of his blog as a sort of first draft.

He's probably going to make a post each day--he has two days and three posts down so far, and he seems to be responding well.

Wow, I sound so crazy. But really I'm not! Promise.

Anyways, feel free to comment on his blog. I'm sure he'd like the attention, though it won't effect the story he tells. But it's out there if'n you wanna take a look!

Has it really been a year, more, since I was on this account? Wow. That's wild.

Well, a lot of you out there should be pleased to know that my writing style has evolved in leaps and bounds over the time I've been away, and I've got a whole slew of work to share with the community. Though life is stagnant, writing is always there.

Although I have more than a few shorts ready to go, I'll be releasing them at a pace of probably one a week. The first one comes out tonight.

It's good to be home. How's everyone been?

Sorry I've not posted anything in Christ-knows-how-long-- things have been terribly busy. I should hopefully have the next chapter up sometime soon, but I don't want to pressure myself because, well, I've got enough of that already.

So how was everyone's New Year? Did you get all good and boozed up?

2009.

That's when we'll be signing the contract.

That's right, Clockwork Dreams was ACCEPTED! WOOOOO! I'm so proud. They were really impressed with it and wanted it put it in the spring lineup, but due to complications with my current situation and an inability to properly market it, I suggested we spend the next eighteen months editing.



I'm currently deleting every chapter but the Prologue from my page. I'm so excited! Thanks for all those who supported me and helped me edit--keep an eye out in 2009!

In the meantime, plenty of new works will be coming your way. I'm already working on my next novel (not CD related) as well as a short novella about Strafend's past and the next book in Bella's series, so once the ball gets rolling there should be no shortage.

I love you all! Thanks again for always reading, and please wait patiently for the next installment to come!

XOXO