I haven't been updating my blog in the last few weeks because I've been spending my writing time revising my manuscript. After I finished my first revision, things unexpectedly took off for me–I still find it a challenge to keep my butt in the chair, but the work is moving much faster and feels much less tedious.

I'm also having a lot more of those moments when I read over my work and I think "wow, did I write this?" Moments when I forget I'm reading something I wrote and it feels like a real novel. Moments when I think maybe this is the reason why I've struggled so long to get this done, when I realize maybe I'm good enough to have my work published.

So lately, I've been pretty excited about this whole novel-writing thing. Though it still needs work, I can, with all honesty, say that I have written a novel. It didn't feel that way after I wrote my first draft because the story was just too disjointed and needed too much work to feel anywhere near done. Now, with my mid-October deadline around the corner, I am much closer to the finish line and I see–dare I say it–light at the end of the tunnel.

Why the October deadline? On October 13 I'm travelling to San Francisco for Bouchercon by the Bay. Last year I went having just completed my first draft. This year I want to go with a finished manuscript in hand and be able to report I've started querying agents. This is a huge milestone and it seems appropriate to make Bouchercon the deadline.

I'll see you in mid-October, and in the mean time, I hope you're also finding success in completing your dream projects, whatever they may be.