I thought it was time I issued an update of where I am with things because I’m still getting plenty of messages asking me for the status of the fourth (and hopefully final) Paul Robertson book.
The last time I gave you an update was back in October—that’s nine months ago. As is always the case when I disappear for so long, life—my “real” life—got in the way. I had staffing issues at work which happened at a time of increased workload in the office in general, which is never a good combination. Essentially, I was getting home from work and all I wanted to do was crash in front of the TV, not spend the mental energy required to write fiction.
Writing has always been my “escape”, but as I get older—I’m fifty later this year—I find that mental tiredness is a bigger problem.
But, I’m happy to say that with the staffing issues resolved, I’m getting home with a little more energy and have made some real progress in recent weeks and months.
I’ve got seven projects at various stages of development right now. Some are no more than an idea and a brief description of the basic plot. Some have a few hundred or a few thousand words written.
The two that are furthest along should come as no surprise. I’ve written about 18,000 words of the third Lies Series book and about 45,000 words of the fourth Paul Robertson book.
If you compare that with October’s update, the third Lies book has barely changed but the fourth PR book is now nearly twice as long as it was then—so you can see where all that mental energy has been focused.
I’m quite pleased with what I’ve written so far. If this is to be the final part of Paul’s story, I’ve got a lot of ground to cover, both in his business life and his love life. And I will need to balance the story between those two goals—too much of one and not enough of the other will unbalance the story, which is something I’m very much aware of, particularly given that Paul’s business life is going to be fairly heavy lifting. That’s not to say his love life is going to be smooth sailing either, mind you.
So, in short, I’m making progress and I’m happy with it, but, as always, I’m reluctant to set any deadlines since I never meet them anyway.
If you’re here, you may also notice I’ve given the website a bit of a spruce-up. It’s a work in progress, but I think it’s looking a little shaper and more modern. I hope you like it.
