This is a Progress Report of my upcoming novel, COUNTING HEADS. I am sending you this report because I believe it will be of some interest to you (refer to "list criteria" at the end of this post). If you have received this report in error, or if you don't wish to receive future issues, please send "unsubscribe" in a reply message. *********************************************************** Friends in fiction-- Last Friday, December 13, 2002, I sent Draft 4 of my novel to my agents. I consider it finished; heaven help me if it isn't. Now I sit and wait for my agents to do their magic. Meanwhile, I am taking a long-awaited break, researching my second novel, and working on short stories. I am doing this in warm, sunny Denton, Texas, where I am practicing to become a "snowbird." In my last progress report (which is still available; see URL below), I offered a synopsis of the novel and hoped to have Draft 2, the reading draft, ready for my first readers by February of 2002. It was about a month late. In May, I got critiques. Overall, the feedback was positive, but there were a number of problem areas. One stickler was my reliance on the reader's knowledge and memory of my novella, "We Were Out of Our Minds with Joy." It was suggested that I add the novella to the beginning of the novel, an idea I instantly adopted. Only later did I actually read the novella, my first time in four or five years. I found to my dismay that the novella and novel were heading off in different directions. Furthermore, I realized that the novella had an unfinished story arc and that I liked its arc more than I liked the novel's. So, I dumped the novel's arc and finished the novella's. I am pleased with the result. In the end I was only doing what readers, including some of you on this list, were telling me to do all along--finish the novella. Sometimes it takes me a little longer to catch on. COUNTING HEADS is now a single, stand-alone novel. The whole Garden Earth conspiracy is downplayed and the focus is more on Samson and friends. The novella added about 20,000 words to the 204,000 words of the novel's first draft. But since I edited out about 39,000 words, the finished work is a healthy 185,000. As every author knows, when you submit a story to an editor, no matter how long you've been in the business, no matter how many stories you've sold to the same editor--you hold your breath. You don't exhale until you receive the acceptance/rejection letter. This novel represents a lot more time, effort, and creative investment than any short story I've done. I hope I survive the wait, and the verdict. wish me luck, David ********************************************** List Criteria I have taken the liberty to include you in this mailing because: --You have sent me email about my writing --I met you at a con --I met you at a liquor store --We used to date (or I wish we had) --You're my agent, editor, first reader, family member, friend, famous person whose acquaintance I'd like to cultivate, fan (and proud of it), or patron. Till next time, David