Eren is Finished

I sent an email yesterday. That's not much of a story, is it? Add a few details, though, and it becomes something quite different: I sent an email yesterday to my publisher, along with the final manuscript of Eren, the book I've been working on for four years.

Actually, even that's a simplification. The first few sparks of Eren came when I was a teenager. That book never came to light, but the idea stuck and fermented without me even knowing it, and when 2009 came it was there, still waiting.

England, Japan, America. 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013. Places I've lived and the time it's taken to write, rewrite, edit, re-edit, and do all the things it takes to get the book finished. Well, finished enough. I have a sneaky suspicion that all I'm doing is letting it go rather than polishing it up.

Appropriately Halloween-y 

Quite honestly, it's a strange, empty feeling to be done. To be done done. Like getting on a plane to a new country and finally realising - well, crap. It really is too late now. This is happening. Eren is finished. The writing is done and the reading will begin soon enough.

So the book's not mine anymore. Not mine mine, mine alone. Soon it will be everyone's. That's another journey I have to take - another panicked moment when I can't decide to stop. That's a good thing, by the way. What's life without a little panicked doubt?

So! More stories to write. More worlds to explore. Right now I'm still riding high on the thrill of seeing Eren the book (rather than Eren the story) take shape. What more is there to say? That story is told, and in time you'll get to read it. For now, I'm going to celebrate, with good friends, good times, and a healthy break from the computer*.

To all who've helped me so far - thank you.

*This is a lie.