Bill takes a moment to smell the roses in Iraq.
One more step forward on the march to publication.
Last month, ODNI approved my memoir BAGHDADDY for public release.
This culminates an almost nine month process where every agency I ever worked with, and for, had to sign off on my book because it was a memoir and non disclosure of ops and intel is a serious thing.
I spent the last few weeks sanity checking my manuscript because I hadn’t seen it in a while and I wanted to make sure the story was still fresh in my mind. Plus, I had to work out the legal boilerplate with ODNI and the required disclaimers that will have to accompany the book.
There were some interesting comments and a few surprising perspectives on minor scenes I’d written, but overall the feedback I received on the book was extremely positive and the lines I had to adjust were easier to rework than I expected.
More good news. After the veil of secrecy parted, a publisher I’d like to work with requested the entire manuscript to review with his team.
I am excited and relieved to reach this milestone, and while the publisher’s interest isn’t a guarantee they will publish the book, it sure does feel good. More to follow. I’ll let you know what happens next as soon as I can talk about it.
At work at the desk in my office.
After this post I get to return to my new book, Cypher 1.0 – The Tears of Ashur.
If you followed my posts from the mountains of Lowman, Idaho – Thank You – and you know my next book is a new-adult thriller about the trials and difficulties of the three Cypher children. They search for their father after he’s declared dead, and they find clues that he’s still really alive, but no one believes them. To get dad back, they’ll need science and magic, and to prove they’re not part of the problem that caused dad to disappear in the first place.
The plot and treatment for the entire story is complete, and I’m about halfway through the first act of the nose-to-tail first draft. It’s tight, but despite fiddling with BAGHDADDY, I’m still on track to finish my new book by the end of summer.
So far, it’s been a fun and rewarding, but slow journey. Those of you who’ve thrown back whiskey with me know I’ve wanted to write a science and fantasy story like this for a while. Now that it’s happening, I feel like I’m finally doing what I’m supposed to be doing again.
But this story has a lot of strong young women and they’re making me learn a lot, like how they each want to speak and dress, and that hair color is really more about fashion and whim than genetics. Recently, they made me learn how to braid hair – and they each want it done a different way. I have boys so I wasn’t really prepared, but maybe it’ll help when my grandchildren inevitably arrive.
Seize your days,
Bill
For the latest updates visit www.billrileyauthor.com
I look forward to reading this when it hits the bookstores. Hopefully it will be soon.
Hi Gary! Me too 🙂 I didn’t understand how long publishing lead times could be when I first started writing that book. Once a book is accepted by a publisher there’s usually a gestation period, 1-2 years, before a book sees the light of day. I’m trying to get my new book in the right hands this summer so, in 2019, I can be in a book a year cycle. But it’s a dice-roll. I already have some interest in my new book, but until I sign a contract all I can do is keep chipping away at my stories as best as I can. I’ll call you next time I’m in your neck of the woods.
Thank you for staying with me on this journey. If you and Barbara ever travel our way, we always have a guest room ready for you.
Bill