A
few months ago, while browsing on Amazon, I noticed that a new book
had appeared beside "Eye Contact" and "Knife Edge". It felt odd, seeing
the online listing for a novel I hadn't finished writing, as though I
was typing away to fill blank pages that were already bound and
sitting on a shelf somewhere. I remember mentioning it to a friend,
and joking that it would be a big help if I could just get hold of a
copy and read it, so I'd know how the story ends.Well, this week the story did end. I had a general sense of where the plot would take me, but it didn't really snap into place until I actually came to write it. This has caused me a lot of concern over the past few months, but a great deal of relief when it finally came together. It's somewhat darker than I first envisaged, but I'm pleased with the way it worked out.
Now I can enjoy a couple of weekends off. It's an unfamiliar feeling - this will be the first time in years that I've not being working on this series, and I'm just beginning to grasp how big a part of my life the story has become. I've tried to ensure I didn't miss out on too much time with my family, but other areas were more affected. I've managed almost no photography, read almost nothing, even been reluctant to commit to watching new TV shows! When I went to look for some music on my iPhone, I realised that practically everything on it was eerie or morose of tense - all music for writing.
It seems I have some catching up to do.
This was definitely the toughest of all the books to write. Partly, that's down to the subject matter of the story - which goes places that I personally find quite troubling - and partly because the last twelve months have been challenging with close family members affected by illness. It's definitely been a tough journey, but nothing worthwhile is easy.
In any case, now I can relax. No early-morning train journeys to Bristol, no hunching over a laptop in some distant cafe, no struggling to keep all those different characters in my head. The funny thing is, I already miss it a little. I know it won't be long before I'm diving back in to get going on the editing process, and there are already several glimmering sparks of ideas, competing for attention to become the next project... but for now, I'm done.
Well, mostly done. I think we still need to dream up a better title than "Untitled McNeill 3"...