Hi There!
It's been another couple of months, so let's catch up, shall we?
Piety the Knife
When last we spoke, I was about to embark upon the third draft of Piety the Knife, my latest manuscript, at the request of an agent who's interested in representing me but didn't think the book was quite there yet. Well, I'm pleased to say that the time since the last newsletter has been immensely productive, and the third draft of Piety the Knife is now finished. I honestly thought the second draft was really strong (and it seems agents agreed - it got the most attention of any book I've ever written that didn't end up with offers of representation), but I think this one's even better. It solidifies a lot of things, gives further depth to the various characters, adjusts the pacing in several positive ways, and in general tells Piety's story in a way that I think (hope) is super-compelling.
Will it land me an agent? I have no idea! This business is crazy, and it's particularly crazy right now, because the industry got all backed up due to COVID, so now publishers are taking on fewer books, which means agents are signing fewer authors. Nonetheless, I remain optimistic. I think this is a really good book, and I hope I'll someday be able to get it into your hands.
Reminder: New Website
As mentioned in the last newsletter, I finally did something with CWBWriting.com. You can find all of my writing there, of course, but there's also a blog which I do occasionally update, and not only with these newsletters. My last post was some musing on Facebook's myriad failings. How can you possibly not want to check out content like that?!
Anyway, you should totally check it out. It's cool.
Book Recommendation
I really, really liked Nona the Ninth, probably even more than I liked Gideon the Ninth and definitely more than I liked Harrow the Ninth (which I still liked, don't get me wrong!). If you haven't read any of the Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir, I definitely recommend them. If you've read Gideon and Harrow but haven't gotten to Nona yet … get to Nona!
Brief Hiatus
So … I am weirdly actually itching to write something new right now (preferably the sequel to Piety but that would be getting ahead of myself). Unfortunately, I have some contract work I need to do in the evenings and on weekends, so I may have to take a short time off from writing. Like a month or two. That doesn't mean there won't be a newsletter in January, though. Hopefully by then I'll have heard from the agent who's interested in Piety and, if I'm lucky, it'll be good news.
If not? Well, I have some other things up my sleeve. Mostly doves, though. And maybe a rabbit. Or one of those handkerchief chains that just keeps on going and going. But also some things related to writing. Stick around. Whatever happens, you'll be the first to hear!
Until next time!
-Chris
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