It's DONE!

I've just now sent the finished first draft of Return of the Guardian-King off to Bethany House. I am in awe that it all fell together and that, just as I trusted, the Lord gave me exactly enough time. Because even though it's not 1:30 in the morning like it was for the last book, I still have to get ready to leave for Denver tomorrow.

The only thing I forgot to ask the Lord about was the length. When I did a word count this afternoon (the first I've done since I started) I about fell out of my chair: 211,000 words. That's at least 20,000 words too long. At first I was dismayed, but now I'm actually feeling good about it. It gives me some boundaries, and I like to cut and tighten. I like it far more than first drafting, actually. And it's good to have a lot of material so you can winnow and focus... I just hope my editor doesn't have a heart attack when she sees it.

For now though -- I'm free! No more thinking about the book. I'm going to go to Denver, stay in a fancy hotel, eat at a couple of banquets... visit some friends, come home and ... maybe I'll clean out my refrigerator. Go watch Superman Returns or Pirates of the Caribbean. Read some books!

Hooray!
Karen