As you probably well know, Thursday was spent organising and sending out a query to an agent for Skylark. The agency is extremely reputable, from what I've managed to glean in the short amount of time I spent researching them. For the record, the Absolute Write Water Cooler is a fantastic forum every aspiring author should haunt. Lots of information there for those looking to do their due diligence. The agent herself seems like a perfect fit for Skylark. Mind you, I've thought the same about other agents for other books and it's gone nowhere fast.
So, now begins the waiting game.
Most of you who know me at all will know this as a fact. I didn't even bother to shop the last two books I self-published. If nothing happens with Skylark, I have the option of self-publishing that as well. It's a good option, though I will not have much of a presence in physical book stores; a common problem for self-published writers. It's also quite unlikely that I will make much in terms of sales - another issue for self-published authors. I also will not have the validation I continually seek. You know the kind. It's the validation of the gatekeepers of the club you really want to be in finally saying, "Yes, you are good enough to join us."
All things considered, this desire for validation is quite silly. But it's there and it doesn't look like it's going anywhere soon. So I shall wait.
Luckily, I have a great deal to keep me occupied.
My Welsh lessons are coming along. I started lesson seven last week, and will finish it up this week and move onto lesson eight. Lesson seven seems easier than the previous six lessons. I'm not sure if that's by design or if it's because I am finally getting the hang of the language properly. I am feeling up for some conversation in Welsh. Alas, Canada is not known for its Welsh-speaking population. Perhaps I will propose a class trip to Wales for next year. There's an incredibly Welsh whiskey you can only get from the distillery I wouldn't mind getting my hands on...
Human is also keeping me busy. It's still picking up steam. I will get to write the final showdown this week or the next, depending on how quickly I manage to write all the details that need to be filled in before then. I'm hoping for this week, because that final fight is really very epic in my mind's eye.
Immediately following the completion of Human, I want to get cracking on Daughters of Britain. This is technically a departure for me, as it looks like it's going to be historical fiction instead of fantasy. However, it really isn't much of a departure for me. It's a story about a heroine who knows her way around a blade and becomes a hero through sheer force of will. Terrible things happen to good people. There are epic battles. It's all very epic fantasy without, well, the fantasy part. And really, what is historical fiction if it's not a fantasy about the past with people who actually existed?
I think I will translate Daughters of Britain into Welsh. It only seems fair. The heroine would have spoken the ancestor of modern Welsh. I can also use the translation as reading and writing practice.
Well, I've prattled on enough I think. Time to get on with my language lessons and then to writing. Epic fight here I come!
Ciao!