Thanks to the generosity of a dear friend, I am heading out of town this week for a short urban retreat. I will be heading to a city in the northeastern US to just kick back, relax, eat well, and spend hours and hours writing Blood of a Dark Nation, the next installment of the Dark Nation series.
I have had a lot on my plate recently. Gamma Xi Phi, the professional fraternity for artists, is still a very important volunteer experience for me and I recently joined the Georgetown University African American Advisory Board. Though I’ve still been writing, it hasn’t been with the intensity that I usually do. However, I think this trip will be an excellent way to kick-start the next portion of developing this book.
Just time…in a different environment…with no interruptions. Exactly what Justin and Dante need to get the rest of their story told.
I’ve written about 50 pages of the novel and I’m guessing it will be about 200 pages total. Covenant was also a short novel, but it gets to the point.
Blood of a Dark Nation will have a lot of action. I’m excited to introduce several new characters, including Annette Mitchell, Dr. Leung, The Butcher, and of course, The Jackal.
Spoiler alert: There will be blood.
That said, I will be scaling back my blogging and social media updates unless it has to do with the writing of this book, from next week through the end of August. Since Blood of a Dark Nation is totally outlined and 50 pages are already written, I don’t think it will take longer than nine weeks to finish the rest.
I would *like* to publish the novel by the end of the year, retaining my annual publishing streak. But I can’t promise that because the editor and cover designer still need to be paid as well as the company which formats my work for e-books. (I could do that myself, but I really am not that good at it.)
I might pull a Beyonce and just surprise y’all when it drops. That does take a LOT of pressure off me when it comes to the promotion leading up to a launch. Like, dropping a book is much like planning any other special event. But really… like really really…. I don’t make a lot of money off my books in the first place, so why not take the risk of a “surprise” publish date? My super readers follow me on this blog and social media so there’s little risk that anyone would miss the announcement.
Just rambling at this point. Haven’t made any decisions yet.
Y’all take care!