An update from the planet in between

My friend Rick, author of Duncan's Journey, took this sweet picture
of my first two books, side by side.  Aren't they just the cutest little things?

June 5, 2014
Day 36/365

So here I am, 36 days into my 365-day adventure that is daily blogging (about 10% in now!).  As I look back on the reflections I've written, I'm very pleased with how it's going so far.  I've had some very kind feedback publicly and privately from a bunch of people, and though I haven't always gotten the amount of views I'd like, the progress and product itself are doing swimmingly well!

As for my book writing progress?  Well, I'm delighted to say my third book is coming along very nicely! I'm writing Chapter 4 right now, and I'm really enjoying where it's going.  I've already mapped out what will happen in this book, but just this week, a new revelation came to me, a dramatic jump for one of my characters, and though it's a gamble in some ways, I feel really good about it. 

The trickiest part about writing a series is keeping things thoroughly exciting throughout, while also leaving your "big finish" for the very end.  What that big finish is though, I can't tell you.  Not because it'd ruin the book for you (which is a great reason), but because I haven't thought of it yet!  It's all good though; it keeps me exploring things in a fun way as I move the stories forward.  And just as it did at the end of the first book and at the end of the second as well, I'm confident the big reveal at the end of the third will just come to me out of nowhere one day.

My first three books are all a series called Heaven, Hell, and the Planet In Between.  Book 1 is called The Uniter, and it sets everything up for the whole series.  Book 2 is called The Papal Visitor, and it tells the story of how everything unravels, for good and bad, because of this great new revelation from Heaven.  And the third book has to wrap it all up, and basically just let the reader feel a higher understanding and appreciation for all that has happened, from Book 1 to Book 3 and everywhere in between.

I'm excited to be writing the third book now, but it can be really stressful at times too.  I need to wrap everything up, and not leave anything out now in all the details swimming through my brain.  All throughout the writing of these books, beginning over 10 years ago, I've had a clear vision of what things looked like, how things would play out, and most importantly, what feel these books had to have.

I wanted readers of these books to feel inspired and energized by some quite profound truths, and I wanted to open people's minds to the possibilities of the impossible.  Do I know exactly what will happen between Chapter 4 and the end of this third book?  No.  But I do have about 25 pages of notes for Book 3.  I have characters written out and what will happen to each of them in this book.  And I have a great feeling about the conclusion that still hasn't revealed itself to me.

So that's where I am today on the 5th of June, 2014.  Ask me again in a few more months, and I may have more answers.  Hopefully though, I'll still have just as many questions.