AHHHHH!!!!

Today's the day and I've still got chapters to go! EVERYONE remain calm, don't panic - who's panicking? I AM PANICKING. 

In all seriousness - everything is fine. I'm going to finish the first draft this weekend, then spend a couple of weeks doing a 'first pass' edit before I submit to Inkshares and the editing process begins in earnest. Writing is re-writing - the book is going to change and grow in so many ways after I send it over - BUT THAT GOLDEN BAR IN MY GOOGLE CALENDAR IS FREAKING ME OUT.

It's fine. It's fine. Everything's fine. I just worship at the Altar of Deadlines, so I get a little twitchy when I blow my self-imposed ones. I am not one of those writers who 'writes all the time - giggle!' or 'just can't stop writing! - ha ha!' I am a dilettante and lothario, left to my own devices it would just be occasional twitter posts in-between marathon video game sessions on my couch and drunken poetry-brawls with wandering bards. My first two books I lived in constant fear that I would just STOP...and never start again if I missed a deadline.

I'll update you guys again as soon as the draft is done - and FASCINATE you with the process I go through for my first-pass edit.

Here's a quick snippet from the current page of the draft, open now in another tab:

Jonas had just enough time to realize he understood the creature’s words before he saw the rainbow vapor ignite and a torrent of energy come screaming out of the dragon’s jaws. He surged forward, hoping to pull Xenon back from the assault, but Linus and his white sword were already there. The hunter stepped in front of her and the patchwork energies of the dragon’s breath were absorbed into the blank metal.

“Scholar Xenon, fall back.” Linus commanded. “Squire, you guard my back. I didn’t spot a tail on this creature, but it seems agile enough. We will keep its attention firmly fixed on us, understood?”

“Yes!” Jonas stepped into place, keeping one eye on Xenon’s retreat as she hurried back towards the lighted pathway behind them.

The dragon howled with rage -- or was it delight and breathed more of the ramshackle energy upon them. The white sword again devoured it. “The creature is mad. It’s been feeding on the life-force of its brethren for who knows how long. It’s breath is some bizarre mixture of different elemental types.”

“I’m just glad it breathes something the sword eats,” Jonas grunted.

“Yes, well - “ Linus shifted his grip on the white sword. “It appears he has grown bored with that tactic. Here he comes!”

“Does your magic sword happen to kill dragons with a single touch?” the squire spun to cover Linus’ right flank.

“I don’t know. Does yours?” the old man shifted his stance, keeping his elbow high.