The sequel to House of the Scorpion has been finished and handed in to the editor and publisher. The working title is God’s Ashtray. The editor doesn’t like the title, but I do. I sent the book in, via email, on Friday, May 18, and at 5:30 AM on Monday got a reply back from the publisher.
“Brilliant. How else can I put it. Simply brilliant. I’m speechless.”
Now this kind of response is unheard of. I’m very, very happy. I worked eight hours a day every day for months. The only breaks I took were to do fun things like laundry and cooking. Usually, authors only manage a couple of hours of work without flaming out. The brain doesn’t shut off at the end of a long writing day and if and when you do fall asleep, you DREAM about the characters. Housework goes to hell in the last stages. Family and friends get their feelings hurt. Dust bunnies get as large as pit bulls. The writer looks like she’s slept in the gutter for a week. When the book is handed in it takes a few days to recover. The work is actually physically exhausting. For two days I didn’t even want to touch a computer. Yesterday I was invited to a party and spent the time slumped in a corner fast asleep.
It is now up to the publisher as to when the book gets published. Many little chores remain to be done. I hope the process goes quickly and frankly I don’t see why not.
On another topic, look what we found in a neighbor’s yard. A friend was walking her two little dogs and this mountain lion swooped in, caught the smaller one, broke its neck and climbed into a tree to feed
(Photo Terrie Gates)
