Laurie R. King

One of the most satisfying sounds of my earlier years was the rustle and thump of an envelope holding 300+ pages of manuscript as it dropped into the FedEx box.  Of course, now that contracts no longer specify paper copies, the physical thump has been replaced by a tap on an icon.

But it’s still satisfying. Deeply, joyously satisfying, this story that began with a throwaway line towards the end of one book (The Murder of Mary Russell)–

–and was then more or less ignored all through the next–

–but which then started to come to life at my last stop in a tour of Europe, when I arrived at my hotel to find this subtle indication that I was not in Romania any more:

And later looked out my window at this:

Then the next day, when I wandered down to gawk at the Casino–

–Mrs Hudson’s appreciation for Monte Carlo began to take shape, in what would become Riviera Gold.

That’s the rewrite I’ve just hit SEND on.  So although it’s far from finished, since editor and copy editor have yet to push things around, it’s currently off my desk and onto theirs. Which is a beautiful feeling, not least because I’ve been working 8-9 hour days on the thing for more weeks than I can remember, and I have laundry to do and heaps of things that need sorting.

And maybe I’ll even have a chance to see my family, other than through the bleary eyes of a writer on deadline.

Happy December to you, too!

(If you’d like to demonstrate your excitement about the book, it’s always great when my publisher can see pre-orders, from Bookshop Santa Cruz or Poisoned Pen books or your local Indie or B&N or Amazon. Just in case you want to show them how much you’re looking forward to June 9…)