An Update:
This is all rough draft stuff, so please don't take this the wrong way.
But.
I got to the end of the last full chapter on Rich Man's War last night. That brings me to 140,021 words and only the epilogue left to go.
Again. Rough draft. I still have to start from the beginning with revisions, and then when I'm done with that hand it to people and see what needs to be fixed before it's ready for prime time.
If I haven't mentioned this before, Rich Man's War holds much more action than Poor Man's Fight. It's a bigger story on a bigger scale, and while Tanner is a very consequential figure in the scheme of it all, he's also just one more grunt in the middle of big events.
When I have the epilogue finished, I will post the prologue here on my blog. I hope to have that done this week, mostly because I have family coming in to visit next weekend and that will surely derail me for a couple of days. So if you're really looking forward to Rich Man's War, watch this space!
Good news, but do you think you could give us a tentative availability date for the book on Amazon?
ReplyDeleteNot a one, sorry. The moment I start trying to offer guesses, I wind up setting a deadline, and then I create a tension between creating a quality product vs meeting an imaginary deadline. I suspect I'm better off just keeping it vague for now. Wish I could be of more help!
DeleteAny guesses on publication date?
ReplyDeleteSee my comment response above. No guesses. Don't wanna jinx myself. Sorry!
Deletei am super exited. i can barely wait for the prologue.
ReplyDeleteIt is great to hear that you are maintaining character focus on the grunt, while events cycle on around and above him. I really liked how Tanner was just a cog in an already whirling machine in Poor Mans Fight, albeit an exceptional one. There are too many characters that entire large scale events bend around, it was refreshing to read about someone for whom the limelight was just a consequence, not the result their "plot armour" (for want of a better phrase).
ReplyDeleteKeep up the good work!
Aw man, I guess this means Tanner doesn't get a shot at command! That sucks for him I guess. I can't wait for you to release it though. The story is so unique and it's great to hear you intend to keep it that way instead of becoming another Honorverse (after the third book that series was just no).
ReplyDeleteHayden, I'm pretty sure Tanner would sooner jump out an airlock than accept a commission. :)
DeleteOh well! Keen for the story anyway! Do we get to see more of the other characters from his high school class again?
DeleteOK, so I want to start off by saying: I CAN'T WAIT. I tried the Amaon Preview of "Poor Mans Fight" after it first came out. But I couldn't get into it. Then I gave it another shot about two weeks ago. I couldn't put it down. Hell I was even pacing around reading the last few chapters. Not only that but as I was reading it I noticed aspects and terms that I recognized. I've also reread it about a dozen more times. Then at the end, after the story you said you served in the Coast Guard. And bam it all clicked. That was why some of it seemed so familiar. I just got out of the CG about 2 years ago. But anyways I just wanted to say you wrote a damn good book and I am so looking forward to reading the continuation of this story line. I also loved how the main character was a nobody that made a difference in a story that was already underway. Most stories have a main character that drive the plot while Tanner had to adjust to it and work with what he was given. Beautiful work here.
ReplyDeleteRadioFlier, thanks so much for the kind words. I served from '94-'98 (four years and some change). Obviously my experience was very informative for my book. There's considerably less of that in the sequel--the story just goes pretty far from my Coast Guard experience--but I wanted to at least lay that foundation in the first book.
DeleteAs for Tanner being a nobody, he kind of can't really escape people knowing who he is now. He takes the driver's seat in a big way more than once in the sequel, too, but that's a very different thing from being the captain of the ship or a political leader. I'm hoping to strike a decent balance between him being just one guy on a big scene vs. being a compelling character with a lot of agency and personal initiative.