Leap Ahead. Please.

February 29 only comes once every four years, so I figured it's as good a time as any to update the placeholder blog. (Once every four years--that's a schedule I could stick to.)

Currently I am trying to work out the kinks of converting my files for A Boy Called Hawk and A Rumor of Real Irish Tea into eBooks. And by that, I mean "playing a lot of spider solitaire." (I really wish that wasn't as true as it is. Putting things in order relaxes my brain, though, and face cards are a whole lot easier to put in order than, say, a new format on a document I haven't so much as glanced at in almost two years.) I do have the first book mostly formatted, but I still have to build an active Table of Contents, convert the whole thing to HTML, and then check it on an actual Kindle to make certain it all works. Lather, rinse, and repeat with the second book.

My tentative deadline: March 19, and it must be true because it's posted on the internet.

Which brings me to my second deadline: June-ish.

Yes, it's that time of year again, where I pull out the ol' manuscripts, take them under review, and decide which one I feel like publishing. That is, of course, not how the process actually works. I don't have that many manuscripts lying around, and I've already committed not to publish anything that needs a sequel. That left me with all of two to choose from. This year's winner is, as foreshadowed by my last blog post ever so many months ago, my very first NaNoWriMo novel from way back in 2008, Kingdom of Ruses:

Viola Moreland’s life is a well-orchestrated lie: for generations, her family has perpetuated the myth of the Eternal Prince, a mysterious and powerful protector who watches over the small kingdom of Lenore. The lie is a success, too, until a nameless young stranger stumbles across the truth and promptly assumes the Prince’s identity. Unable to produce the genuine figurehead, the Moreland family must cater to his whims to preserve their web of carefully constructed ruses. Fortunately for them, the stranger’s interests have very little to do with a desire for power, and his presence may be the only thing that stands between the true magic of Lenore and certain destruction.

(I consulted with my brother tonight to iron out the last of that summary. Thank you, Russell, for being a fantastic sounding board.)

I've already completed my second edit on the manuscript. So now I either have to find some poor schmuck willing soul to read over it for typos, or else just plunge right into the formatting and hope I catch anything errant whilst I check for widows and orphans. Decisions, decisions.

There's also the issue of creating a cover, but I've only just started brainstorming there. And, if all goes well with my March 19 deadline previously referenced, the goal would be to release this book in both paperback and eBook at the same time. As this is mostly new territory for me, I make no promises.

And now, just so this post wont be a totally boring wall-o'-text, here's the mock cover I created for Kingdom of Ruses back when I first wrote it:



Notice how my name's not anywhere to be seen? And how the title is intentionally blurred? Yeah, I don't plan on using this, obviously. But I remember having loads of fun when I made it. (10,000 points to anyone who can correctly name the castle in the picture.)