I started the new novel yesterday. No reason to say much about it yet, but it involves several characters from SNAPSHOT and continues some themes, while being very different in other ways. I plan to make it shorter and faster paced still (not that SNAPSHOT is anything but either!)

Reallly need to get back to work on it... a set amount of words each day is the only way to finish it.

Well SNAPSHOT is in with the publisher now - they already told me to expect a bit of a wait as the reading backlog is huge right now - but that's not a problem.

Because it's time for me to do it all again (in about 10% of the time it took the first one though!) and start up a new novel. I really think I can have 1st draft/polish done by Christmas. There's work ahead!

I'm taking the manuscript for SNAPSHOT into a major Australian publisher tomorrow - it's the first real "inside connection" I've made. I won't name names unless the best possible thing happens, but they're a major multi-national with a big reach. Hopefully they bite, but if not, my next stop will be Agents.

As for how I made this contact - well, I'll tell the whole story another time, but I have to say that whenever you see any writing contest associated with a serious, major publisher, you definitely want to go for it! Even if you don't win, you might get something out of it.

A word about that mysterious new ad below the menu bar - it's not to make money! Apart from the fact that I don't really get that many hits so far anyway, I'm getting a few, and I want to see where they are from.

My server only gives raw hit stats, and I want to know more. So I've signed up with hitbox and in exchange for that ad on my site I will have access to extensive webstat reports for this site. It's really for my own curiousity and knowledge (and maybe even to plan ahead for the future audience I hope to have (or just to put my mind at ease as to the audience right now!)

Either way, it's likely only temporary - at the most a month I suspect - just to see what I get. When I have a big enough audience that I really want to know who they are, I'll definitely move to a bigger server that I pay for and includes this service as part of the deal. But I don't really have the funds right now - though I know I will eventually!