Well, sort of. Quitting is not in my genetic makeup, but shepherding CLON-X through to this stage has been challenging. What stage is that? The book is currently undergoing what I hope is a final edit. From there, I’ll review the edits, make changes if necessary, and then send it to my proofreader. After the proofreader and my final polishing, it’s off to my book designer. As with most things, I’ll have to “get in line.”  I’m sure my book designer hasn’t been hanging out waiting for me to contact him. Once he’s done with the print version, then it’s back to the proofreader to check for any errors that may have popped up during the final formatting. Thankfully, the cover design was finalized earlier this year.

Done correctly, a lot of work goes into producing a quality book – one an author can be proud of. And it often takes years from concept to the finished product.  At least, it has for me. Once a book is released, I want to close that chapter and continue on with the next one in the series. In fact, as soon as any book reaches the edit stage, I begin to work diligently on the next novel while my editor tackles the previous manuscript. 

So why has it taken so long to get CLON-X released? Simple. “Real life,” as Linda McKinley, a dear friend and fellow writer once said when I asked her how her historical fiction was coming along. Since the fall of 2019, CLON-X’s target release date, the book has weathered a slew of freelancers who, through no fault of their own, have fallen victim to their own “real life” events that relegated fiction to the back burner. What do you do when you can’t control the situation? You persevere. 

The theme of CLON-X is human cloning, and I wish I’d had the ability to do just that – clone myself. But cloning doesn’t guarantee talent, and it takes the talents of others to get the job done, and done right. In reality, the hurdles my freelancers have faced while dealing with real life situations, have far outweighed the importance of sticking to a book deadline. 

As Albert Einstein said, “In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” In my case, the long middle of working to release CLON-X gave me the opportunity of extra time to proceed with Blue Angel, book five in the Darcy McClain and Bullet Thriller Series.