I understand the confusion – Iris of the Shadows only just got released, I said I was working on the third Tedrick (and I am), but now I’m banging on about the seventh book in Paranormology? Come on, Jez, that’s silly. I get it.
Let me spell it out: Last year, during all the kerfuffles of lockdown, I had been working on #7 of Paranormology, and kicked off Tedrick Gritswell #3. I had all but finished the first draft of Devon Cove, so I put that down, got stuck into Tedrick, but then hit a block. At the same time, I had the ‘Darkness from Below’ manuscript calling out from underneath years of neglect. I had a choice – push through on Tedrick’s third, finish Devon Cove or grow some and tackle Darkness from Below.
I chose the latter. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be, and took way longer to boot, and it drove my health into the ground, but I got it done. And I’m proud of it. All things considered, I made the right decision. So after all of that, I was exhausted and needed something on the light side as a breather. Hence, I revisited the Devon Cove Ghost book.
Cue montage of Jez homeschooling, working, fixing computers and getting slapped in the head with sausages. Finding an hour to sit down and actually concentrate on writing without distractions, and without being completely buggered from the day, proved a right challenge. I was creeping forward at a daily rate of, wait for it, two hundred words. That’s right. A measly couple of paragraphs a day. Sure, the book was two thirds written, but with all the interruptions, it’s tricky to keep track of context between stints.
To fix this problem, I took some time off, three days, in fact, to knuckle down and hammer it out. Only… more lockdowns, which means more homeschooling, which means constant interruptions. Not as many, granted, but it certainly wasn’t the keyboard-smashing fest that I hoped it would be. Even so, I did get a few solid hours in and, as the title of this post might convey to the astute reader, Devon Cove Ghost is away!
Well… not quite. Second draft is done. I’ve printed out the manuscript and have a lovely red pen champing at the bit. The front cover has been knocked up:
All that’s left is the final draft, then Jez tucks himself away in the sound booth and does the audio. Then it’s off to the printers and badabing badaboom, you’ve got the next in series, baby!
