I’m working on book two of Middlehill. The story is one of my favourite stories. I had finished book one, but got half way through book two and realized that I had totally rewrite book one. Changeling went to press with entire scenes intact from the second draft, but I just am not able to connect the new bits of book two to any of the already existing story.

I’m enjoying the rewrite. I think we’d all be wizards of conversation if we could go back and rewrite the dialogue we got to say in any argument. There are whole sections I’m cutting because it’s interesting to me and to the characters, but I couldn’t ask a reader to go shopping with Matt and Kevin for computers for Sam. I used to think I could read about my favourite character reading a phone book, but then I read the fourth book of a Mercedes Lackey book that I had loved as a young teenager and tried to read the end of the book in my second year of university and I was bored out of my skull.

This is a really exciting book that ends with a bang, but instead of starting with the bang, I put in a far less exciting plot line, and now I’m cutting it away.

It’s not like what I’m cutting is bad. It’s not even barely passing. I really like what’s happening, it just can’t be happening here. And that makes me sad. I wish I could say that after a year of having to rewrite almost everything I’ve done would mean that by the second rewrite I shouldn’t need a third, but I’m still rewriting from the studs and floorboards instead of from the flooring and the drywall.

But if this is what it takes to make sure that every scene works, ultimately it is worth the pain of rewrite. I just got a review that said they loved everything about it except for the breakneck speed, but it’s so hard for me to want to slack the tension off. Changeling has a much more relaxed pace in that. The sequel is heading for the Worst. Possible. Thing., but before I get there, I need to give the boys some time off just to be together.

I have Finn’s book two on Kierstin’s desk. My ultimate plan this summer was to get both Rabbit and Drunks, Fools and Kings done, but I don’t think I can do them both at the same time. I’m only sixty pages in to Rabbit, so I might take them to the point of the spoiler, and then switch. I don’t think I’m going to feel like I can slow down until I can get both my paranormal and epic fantasy on the go.