Today I worked on Oliver and Jack, writing Jack’s point of view with great relish. He likes to use bad words when he thinks, and knows that his beloved Nolly would not like to hear them. But, seeing as how Jack was raised by someone who felt that stealing was a good occupational choice, he can’t help who he is, and he sometimes says them out loud. I’m going to do my best to make sure that he doesn’t change the core of who he is. Which is very hard, because he’s so in love with Nolly, that he’ll do pretty much anything.
On another horizon, I’m doing some edits to Fagin’s Boy. I determined that the story needed something and so I reached out and got two beta readers, one of whom has given me some very good feedback and the other who I expect shortly will. The revision, which are mostly tightening the sentence structure, along with a few missing or misspelled words, are taking much longer than I had anticipated. For I went through the manuscript and wrote some brilliant notes – I thought. But in going back through them I realize I must have been jacked up on caffeine or else going slightly mad, for some of the notes make no sense. So I either incorporate the note or write “stet” and circle that bit in bright pink highlighter, so I know I at least considered it before moving on.
Additionally, I determined that the book might enjoy a revamp of the cover. Now, I like the original cover just fine. To me it looks old-fashioned and warm and welcoming. But I’m not everyone, and so I hooked up with bookflydesigns.com and they just sent me a first draft that I’m quite pleased with. I can’t reveal the first draft, because we’ve not decided on the final result. But if you’re interested in seeing the cover when it’s ready, you can sign up for my email list, which I am using only for cover reveals, release dates, and any freebies or sales. Or you can stop by and check for updates for the new cover, and when Fagin’s Boy will be available with the new cover.
Here’s the current word count:
Day One – 1,998
Day Two – 2,122
Day Three – 1,820
Day Four – 1,820
Day Five – 1,930
Day Six – 1,601
Day Seven – 1,729
Day Eight – 2,363
Day Nine – 2,175
Day Ten – 1,782
Day Eleven – 2,124
Day Twelve – 2,008
Day Thirteen – 1,776
Day Fourteen – 1,231
Day Fifteen  – 2,168
Day Sixteen – 2,559
Day Seventeen – 1,743
Day Eighteen – 2,101
Day Nineteen – 1795
Day Twenty – 1978
Day Twenty-One – 4,396
Day Twenty-Two – 2,477
Day Twenty-Three – 1,753
Day Twenty-Four – 1,502
Day Twenty-Five – 2,348
Day Twenty-Six – 1,930
Day Twenty-Seven – 2.023
Day Twenty-Eight – 1,742
Day Twenty-Nine – 1,991
As for the video…there might not be dancing, but there will be orphans. And road trips. And diners. And mom-n-pop motels. And desert horizons that go on forever.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mVbdjec0pA
*choke*