Hello!  I know I’ve been fairly quiet lately on the blog.  Things have been busy with a fair amount of work going into the run-up to the release of “The Sauder Diaries – A Bloodier Rose” towards the end of October.  I’ve got a release date in mind, but it’s heavily dependent on a couple remaining internal milestones.  As soon as those are crossed, I’ll be letting everyone know.

The latest big news is that the artwork for the outside cover and the inside plate are finalized.  You can check them out on the TSD Facebook Page at this link.  Once again, Amanda McCrina and Daniel Swensen have done wonderful work.

The manuscript itself is in the final edits phase, which is a bit of a process.  However, it’s well worth the time that is going into it.  I’ve been having a bit of a case of writer’s anxiety about the second book.  A couple of friends talked some sense into me, and I’m mentally back on track now.

The hardest part about getting “A Bloodier Rose” wrapped up is the “Epilogue”.  I need to set the stage for what future events in the world of Hans Sauder might be, but at the same time leave a bit of mystery.  It’s a tricky balance for me to strike.

Writing “A Bloodier Rose” has been a much different experience for me than writing “By Any Other Name”.  It’s been a much more difficult process, partially because I had to abandon the book half way through for almost six months to deal with the mess that stemmed from the original publisher of the first book.  That caused a lot of heart-ache.  It also meant a redirection of emotional and intellectual energy away from the work on “A Bloodier Rose”.

I’m looking forward to the second book in the Sauder Diaries being on the physical and virtual shelves, and in the hands of the fans.  I’m hoping its a fun, emotional and thought-provoking read for everyone that picks it up.

–Michel