AJ Alanson Author

48 days. That’s what it takes to write the 6th book in a series. I say ‘6th’ because a stand-alone or even an earlier installment couldn’t have been done with the same alacrity…no…allegro…no…almond milk…the words have run out for 2022.

A Fool in the Grand is in editing and yes, I’m late getting it to my beta readers, again (please raise your hand if you have time this next weekend). Even if you haven’t read all the earlier books, I appreciate your feedback.

I learned a ton this last year. From finishing a book to editing to formatting, and publishing, and even the foundations of my marketing plan, but the most important data I picked up was managing the ‘talent.’ I’m sure even the inner landscape of the writer will change with time but for now, I have a better understanding of what I can reasonably expect in the creative process.

For you data geeks out there, I track word count every day and with a year’s worth of entries, much can be learned about the ‘head’ (development and outline) to ‘tail’ (editing) process. The main curve is the creation period. Full disclosure: I wrote huge swaths of the first five books before I began the finishing process this year.

‘Fool’ will be out on the first of December in time for the full set to be available for the holidays. That was my goal in January. Now I have to set a new goal.