Ta-da! Done!

Hi everyone!

Exciting news. I finished a first draft of BLACK ICE this week. Since then, I've been walking around with my shoulders set a little straighter, and I've had a goofy grin pasted on my face. I've also started going to the gym again, ha!  I know there's a lot of work ahead before BLACK ICE's publication, but I've just hit the first major milestone, and that is cause for celebration, yes?

Next week I'll send the manuscript to my editor, Zareen, and we will commence the editorial process, which lasts for several months.  She'll send me her feedback, including lots of questions about the characters, their motivations, and the story world, all of which will help me flesh out the story and make it more vivid. This is my first time working with Zareen, so I'm a little nervous--I don't want to disappoint her.  I think most authors feel this way.  We want to give our readers (editors included!) the best story we possibly can.  

Ironically, I brainstormed the climax, which takes place during a treacherous snowstorm, on my plane ride home from the Dominican Republic, where the weather was deliciously tropical.  But, lucky me, I got to write the final chapters at home here in Colorado, where my city finally got our first decent snowfall of the winter.  As the snow was coming down, I stood in my driveway letting the wind buffet my face, so I could get my story descriptions just right.  All in the name of research. 

I'll leave you with a few pics from my trip to the DR.
xo
Becca