WiP: The Tree & the Egg
My "final" draft of The Tree & the Egg came back with some scathing critiques from my Content Editor.
Ouch.
This is the last book in the Major Arcana series, which is meant to wrap up the whole series in a neat bow and yet still leave the door open for future series set in the Tarot Magic universe of Arcana Glen. The original draft was almost 50,000 words on the dot. The first round of revisions saw another 30,000 words added. That makes this the longest book in the series.
It's not usual for the last book in a series to be the longest. It's the Final Battle, all the loose ends must be tied up, and every major character needs a moment to shine. I have twenty-two major characters, who each have at least one Point of View scene in the book. I also have several villains and gray characters (who may be either villains or anti-heroes) who aren't PoV characters but still deserve their due.
In addition to that, I also want this book, like the others, to be a love story--ultimately--although it's a bit of a different kind of love story than the others.
This is also the first Major Arcana Glen book where most of the action takes place in an Elven Sphere instead of in Mundania (our world). I wanted a chance for the reader to get a sense of the dark grandeur and scope of Winterdom.
For readers who are enjoying the Holiday Arcana Glen series, which is independent but intertwined with the Major Arcana series, the very last book to read is An Enchanted Christmas, which takes place in Arcana Glen as usual, overlapping the dates of this book. However, The Tree & the Egg ends with the Winter Solstice, whereas An Enchanted Christmas obviously goes to Christmas. Both books can stand on their own.
Despite the challenge, I'm back in the trenches, fighting to make this book the best it can be.
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