Making progress

Probably the most frequent question I receive is “When will the next book be out?” The answer to that question depends on how far away we are. It can range from “next spring” to “next week” to “as soon as I get this wretched plot figured out!”

But to get an even better idea, you may have noticed I installed a handy progress bar in the left column of this blog (get yours here). Not only does it encourage me to see it inching its way toward 100%, but it’s a way for you folks to see how things are coming. When I hit 90%, it’s a pretty good bet that a release date is not far away. Or you might hop over to my Facebook page, where I usually change the timeline photo to include a release date as soon as I’m close enough to be sure I’m going to meet it.

In case you were wondering, A Gentleman of Means is coming out May 28, 2015.

Once the book is completed, it goes to my wonderful beta readers, who have an uncanny ability to find holes. “You already gave us that big reveal in book four,” one told me. “Why are you making a fuss about it in book five?”

Oops.

Things like that. That particular boo-boo meant a fairly extensive rewrite … but I would much rather hear about it at the beta stage than in the reviews.

Oh, and as of today, the progress bar stands at 65%!