Today is a day to be remembered! But isn’t every day? =P I spent about six hours writing today and completed the novel “Ashes Fall” in almost record time. If you only count the days that I wrote during NaNo, it probably is. However, I started writing this novel in February.  It was slow going; I think I was honestly just burned out on it. I struggled through the month, with little to no progress and March hit. I had a deadline for an open call submission to another publisher and needed to write that novel.

Stopping all my work on “Ashes Fall,” I started to write Grace’s story. That one I finished in the month of March. That one took seventeen days to write. I love the way when I get into writing a novel that my fingers just start to type and I can’t make them stop. It’s an amazing feeling. Grace’s story, I wrote the majority of it in six days during my spring break. That was about 60,000 words if I remember.

After editing and submitting that one, I had to edit “Dying Embers” also part of the James Matthew’s trilogy. My publisher wanted it done, so I did it instead of writing “Ashes Fall.” July and Camp NaNoWriMo finally rolled around and in I went to write. Nineteen days into it, and I finished. There was a total of ten writing days during Camp NaNo.

I feel so blessed to have finished this novel and series. It certainly wasn’t without tears, particularly in this last one. During “Forever Burn” I sobbed as soon as I made a decision for the ending, and then I sobbed as soon as I wrote it. I was probably depressed for a week after each, but I pushed through and finished it.

“Ashes Fall” is far darker than “Forever Burn” and certainly darker than “Dying Embers.” I can’t begin to write about what goes on in this novel, but James has to hang on for a wild, wild ride. My WIPpet’s take care of explaining some of that, but it gets worse. Knowing what’s going on in her psyche as well as what’s going on in Lily’s throughout the entirety of the novel is crazy.

I can’t wait to begin to edit this novel. It’s already out with my beta-readers, and I’m impatiently waiting for it to return chapter by chapter. I’m so ready for this whole things to be in your hands to you can read it…but wait, isn’t there a prequel that has to come out first??