Hit 100,000 Word Today on Book Five

Yes, yes, the day has arrived! I finally hit 100K on book #5!!!  Actually, it’s 100,125 words, but that’s because Jack started drinking gin and things got out of hand.

The current schedule for this book is as follows.

• I write my fingers to the bone, doing 3,000 words a day until June 31. That’ll bring the total word count to around 150K, which I hope is the appropriate amount of words to tell this particular story.
• I wait with baited breath for my cover artist, the amazingly talented James at Bookfly Design, to send me a draft of the cover. (It’ll be beautiful!)
• On June 31, I hand over the manuscript to my editor.
• On the same day I hand over the manuscript to my very adept and kind beta-reader, Wendy Rathbone, who though quite busy during the summer, has offered to make time to look it over.
• I wait one week.
• On the 9nth of July, I go to the FedEx office to print out the manuscript, and ensconce myself at the nearest Brewing Market coffee shop for a lovely read through.
• Then, from the 9th of July to the 31st of July I revise, revise, revise, incorporate my editor’s eagle-eyed changes, incorporate Wendy’s advice (always golden), and take a good hard look at the result. By that time, I should have a decent book.

What is the book about, you ask? Well, it’s the fifth installment in my six-book series about Oliver and Jack, about how they fall in love and make a life together in London. Just fair warning, book #5 (Oliver & Jack: On The Isle Of Dogs) is going to be dark. Not the darkest dark, but dark enough, and sadly, Jack takes the brunt of this and Oliver has to pick up the prices. Hopefully I will do the subject matter justice; it is my concern about doing it right that has caused the delay in my progress.

A special shout out to Darcie and Hannah, two marvelous fans of the Oliver & Jack series who wrote to ask me if everything was okay because they’d not seen me online in a while. That sort of kindness goes a long way with me, so I was quickly back at work. And for their sake, I include this very small excerpt. It’s of one of the more jolly evenings in the book; it’s from Jack’s point of view:

***

“Gin or beer, what’ll you have, sir?” This said to a gentleman who was wearing the remains of a felted top hat that had seen better days and a coat that was more hole than cloth.

“Beer,” said the man, showing that he did have enough teeth to chew with but that only barely.

“Tuppence,” said Jack, and took the coin that the man slapped on the bar, and filled a pint pot all the way to the brim. Then he slid it slowly and carefully towards the man, so that the beer could be sucked from the brim to ease the level before being picked up and drunk half-way down in one gulp.

“Another’n?” asked Jack.

“Ain’t got tuppence,” said the man, looking a little confused.

“Too bad,” said Jack, shouting, “drink up, an’ here’s another’n.” He shoved a pint pot of beer that Nolly had just filled toward the old man, and laughed at Nolly’s indignation.

“Jack, you can’t do that!” Now Nolly was shouting, even as he served up three pint pots clutched in one hand to a trio of gentlemen who looked as though they had been drinking themselves into a solid drunk through every tavern and pub in the city.

“I don’t work for Noah in this tavern,” said Jack, “so I can do precisely an’ exactly as I please.”

“I’m goin’ to tell the boss you’re given’ away the goods.” This from Len as he passed by with two full bottles of gin that he handed to each of the girls.

“Tell him,” said Jack. “See if I care, especially when the rumor spreads that drink is available for free at the Three Cripples an’ in come the swarms of customers, just dyin’ for a taste?”

“Word of mouth is very good for a shop’s profits,” said Nolly, also shouting, looking up at Len as if a very great joke was being played, and Len was a fool if he wasn’t going to go along with it. But Len only shook his head and held up his hands, and went to the far end of the bar to serve customers there. Which was very good, of course, because it meant that Jack could do as he liked and make Nolly laugh at Jack’s antics, and create a great deal of good will throughout the tap room. Which would go a very long way of erasing the look on Nolly’s face, and the feeling in Jack’s gut that made him feel as though he should have done something more about that horrible pervert coming at Nolly like he had, and done it sooner. But he could only do with what he had now, so he waved the next customer in.

***

Thank you for visiting! I’ll be busy at the keyboard for the rest of the month and should be very easy to spot: I’m wearing glasses and will be hunched over the keyboard, eating and typing at the same time.