Publication - kendecoteau.com

One of my favorite quotes from a musical fits here. “Our heroine arrives, nine minutes to the dot!”

Three Blind Mice was, well, late. However, there is a difference between being late and rushed. While 97.5% of the novel was complete in 2020, ensuring it was well shod and groomed didn’t really start until this last year.

While Fallen Apples (Book 1) brought me some sadness to refresh, Three Blind Mice (Book 2) was simply a catharsis. In short the last months have cemented a path forward with a positive note; we’re doing this!

Now, those several friends and family who had been pestering me finally get the chance to find out “What happens next! Come on! I know it’s been ready for years! Give?”

Making the final push took longer than anticipated for many technical reasons.

Indeed, the world changed from the original moment my fingers touched keyboard. Many topics which entered the world stage required adjustments. Simple things which made sense to use as plot elements in 2018 and 2019 were in direct conflict. The application of drones escalated from a passive surveillance tool to a key battlefield necessity. Forces shifted locations, bases were renamed, and airfields with their associated resources were abandoned.

However, I feel my crafted friends did the best they could with the tools they had left in their tool box. The film crew managed to finish their movie. May we all always have what we need.

Six years ago I began work on a story I’d previously promised to deliver to a friend. The first stage of that project manifested itself while walking on frozen trails in a Maine winter. I was given an anchor by that location. Topics in the world news provided a focus. My newly developing characters introduced themselves almost effortlessly from that cold walk.

My original outline included a very small sequence of events, interleaving actions from two sets of characters, with the intent of unifying forces for a conclusion. Only one issue: it was just too stinking long. Who starts a series with a 700+ page monster!

As I chopped and shifted around sequences, those cuts and adjustments soon led the characters to tell me they weren’t done with what I’d planned. What was supposed to be one book was easily molded into two; a setup and a resolution. As a result of the left over sharp edges from the cuts, simply more was needed. My characters and I now found ourselves in a five-round fight.

With more than a small dose of sadness I clicked the button to publish the refreshed version of this friend. The novel Fallen Apples (Book 1) has finally been sent on its way with a new cover, many edits. And one promise kept.