Take that leap, boy ..

I feel a bit weird today - I'm at 'a bit of a loss' ..
I blogged recently about the fact that I've written a book and, since then, I've gone through the manuscript a further three times, tightening it all up and rectifying my rather liberal scattering of exclamation marks!!!..

It's an adventure story written for young adults. It started as a children's book, as it involves a young boy, but evolved into something rather more complicated as I tried to make it all make sense ..  

Now though .. it's finished. After six years writing, it's well and truly done. All 538 pages, all 220,000 words!!! (Oops) ..

So now what? Well, I've already started to get it out to publishers - first rejection email proudly saved - and I'm just waiting for the first suggestion that I "shorten it a bit" .. but it's just the fact that it's not a part of my daily life any more. All the ideas are down in black and white, the plot came to its planned conclusion (Phew..) and there's nothing else to be done with the characters. Or is there? I had my first sleepless night last night as I mashed out the basis of my follow-up book. My heroes will live again. They need me, but oh boy .. not as much as I need them!  I have the writing bug. Time to take the leap into Volume 2 ..


Stop Press: I've had an email from a publisher this afternoon inviting me to submit my full manuscript. I think I'm going to faint ...