Yesterday I completed the Struggle Bus manuscript. (About time, I can hear you saying!)
Have you read the first chapter yet? Sneak peek here.
As many of you know, I’ve had the toughest time writing the last couple of chapters, because the end of a book is important. Since I’m telling a true story, I’m locked into real events. Real-life stories don’t have nice, tidy endings, and making a book have a proper ending – when it is comprised of real life events – is tricky. People’s lives just fade from one story to the next. An author has to deal with the “fade,” so to speak.
Most of the book has received an editing pass as well. Last summer we drove out west to enjoy time in the mountains, and we passed the long hours reading the story out loud with a red pen. Now I’ve passed the manuscript to my daughter who pinky-promises to have the story proofed and edited by the end of August, 2026. She’s a skilled proofer and I can’t wait to see how it turns out under her care.
I’m going to release “Growing Up Itchy” to coincide with this book’s release as well. My other daughter is designing two new illustrated covers to match, so that these books will feel like a proper set. Rough timeline for these are the end of August as well.
