Gothic Horror Novel is Finished!

So, by now you (and when I say "you" I mean the 2.4 people who currently read this blog) probably know I'm writing a horror novel for a new (and old) Wizards of the Coast book line. Having had only a limited release with "Surviving Frank", this is extremely exciting for me. Not only will this book be a massmarket paperback, but it'll be in bookstores everywhere all over the country, and probably in Europe too this November! In the past, with smaller publishers, I've had to beat the pavement and ask (read "beg") bookstores to carry my books. Right out of the gate, by default, this book will be everywhere. And that is AWESOME!

Now, back to the title of this post. I started writing this book in September and basically wrote a draft in five and a half months, a brutally grueling schedule and one that I wouldn't recommend as a rule to any writer. In the happy world in my brain, a novel draft should take anywhere from nine months to a year followed by another three to six months of revisions and editing. once I had completed the draft, I got a month and a half for the editorial/rewriting process, again brutal. That said, the experience has been really great and the opportunity to write in any of the Wizards of the Coast trademarked worlds is a thrill. So, this weekend, I finished the final major rewrite of the novel and sent the end back to my editor. That in itself is awesome, but who knew it could be funny as well? Here's the funny part:

My wife and I took our toddlers to an indoor playground at a community center on Sunday and it was there, sitting on a flourescent Orange "kid" table that was barely a foot and a half off the ground, that I sat with my laptop and nailed the ending. If you think that's funny, you should have seen the little bright yellow "kid" bench I was sitting on to do this. :-)

All in all, it's been a great experience. After waiting for a massmarket paperback release for about twenty years, I am finally, nearly there. Mark November 4th on your calendars!

Take care;

Dave Page