Working on "Angel's Song" for HQN

Hi Everyone!
Well, I'm in the "writing harness" now. I have just signed a three book contract with HQN (see me jumping up and down for joy) and I'm off!

The first book will be out in 2010, but the hard work in the trenches begins NOW.

When I'm in the 'writer's harness' (I liken this to a plow horse in a harness going out to plow the fields....) I write a chapter day unless this is an "act of God" that stops me from doing it.

As a 'young' and beginning writer, it took me DAYS to finish just one chapter (20 to 30 pages) of rough draft. Now, I can create the same thing in 2 to 3 hours. I'm glad of that!

The HQN is about 15 to 20 chapters, or 85,000 words. That means I'll be in the writing harness on this particular book for 15 to 20 days in a row.

I go to work at 9 a.m. every morning and finish around 11 to 11:30 am....sometimes noon, just depending.

Once the rough draft of the manuscript is created, I put it away for two months in a drawer. I want to get away from it enough to be able to see the mistakes and edits I need to make on it. When one is too close to their brain child, one is blind :-). Putting it away and working on other books in various stages (such as copy editing version or edited version or galley proof check) keeps me busy.

And so....off to write chapter 10 of "Angel's Song" (working title) this morning!

Warmly, Lindsay McKenna