Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah! I’ve written two books!

I finished book two today, after a series of very last-minute rewrites. It was officially due in on Saturday, but as I was going to visit Marion today, I made this my deadline. I read through draft two on Friday and made a list of things that needed changing, then spent the weekend frantically trying to fix them all.

I did everything on my list except ‘fix first chapter’. I’m still not happy with that. I decided that since it’s been through innumerable re-writes already though, it’s probably time Marion had a look at it. I haven’t had a chance to read through draft three properly yet, so I’m sure there are lots of things which will need changing. I’ve spotted a few typos already.

I’m glad I met the deadline for this one, but I think next time I’ll give it the time it needs and get a really shiny final draft. There was a definite writing-the-essay-all-night feel today. I didn’t even have a title until this morning. I emailed the shortlisted titles – The Midnight Hunter, Golden Leaves and Kings and A Friend for Winter around everyone and had an amusing morning reading emails from bored friends at work championing their favourites. My housemates Phil and Caro were even threatening a fight to the death with copies of Ways to Live Forever for their favourites – Golden Leaves and Kings (Phil) and The Hunted Man (Caro).

The most popular title was A Friend for Winter, but I think it sounds too girly, so I’ve gone with The Midnight Hunter. Although the book has a female main character and an emotional storyline, there are plenty of battles and blood, and I didn’t want to alienate any boy readers I might get with Ways to Live Forever.

It’s so good to have it finished. I’m going to have a long bath … and maybe tidy my room.