The Curse and the Blessing of Deadlines




I started writing The Unfinished Song more than a decade ago. 

It has twelve books, with a story arc planned from the start, yet the latest book out is Book 9 - Maze.  I haven't finished the series yet.

"Stuff" happened that delayed me. And sometimes the next book itself delayed me. 

The moral of the story? Maybe I should have set a deadline! 

That's what I decided to do with my next series. And next. I vowed that I would publish two complete series this year: The Major Arcana Elf Tarot series and the Holiday Elf Tarot series, both a series of sweet, Paranormal Romances set in Arcana Glen, Colorado. The timeline in the books themselves determined by deadline, because the stores (which are independent but intertwined) occur over a year. They have to come out in the month they feature.

So far, I've met my deadlines, although in few cases, I was scrambling, and had to sheepishly (inside joke-some books have Sheep Shifters) go back and do a second editing. However, at least readers didn't have to wait six years between books!

This month, for the first time, I really regret my deadline. The final book in the Major Arcana series is more complex than the other books. The reason is obvious--it has to tie together all the plot lines. At the same time, I'm in between Thanksgiving feasts (different family members celebrate on different days) and so getting in the head-space is tricky. 

If I could, I would set the novel aside for now and come back to it. But I can't. Because: deadlines. 

Right now, I really hate deadlines!


Ah, well, meanwhile, An Enchanted Thanksgiving is on sale today for only $0.99.



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