Writing with Zette

First, the good news that I've been hoping to post for quite a while!  The last two books of the Dark Staff series are finally published and available at Double Dragon!

Book Seven: Gathering http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-55404-559-2

Book Eight: Hope in Hell  http://www.double-dragon-ebooks.com/single.php?ISBN=1-55404-560-6

This series has taken me a long time to complete -- so much so, that I can see a change and improvement in my writing from book one to book eight -- but then, I suspect that happens to anyone who is willing to keep learning and who has a long term project of this sort.  I'm quite happy with the last two books, and thrilled to have the entire series finished.  If I hadn't gotten so bogged down with work on Dragon Tooth Fantasy Books and Forward Motion, I probably would have had the series done a couple years ago -- but there it is, finally. 

I also had the opportunity to do the cover art for these last two books, which proved to be really fun and demanding.  I've done other cover art, but not much for my own work, and certainly nothing lately.  I don't get to do art like that very often.  Here is a picture of the original art, without the lettering:

http://artzone.daz3d.com/index.php?mode=photo_album&act=view&pho_id=140256&p_id=885

I also received a contract from a British publisher, Studymates, to do a print book on writing science fiction for them.  I apparently do well at writing books about writing. (grin)  This one is going to be a nice challenge and I'm already about 6k into the book of around 60k or so.  It will be slower going than writing fiction, of course, but I have done enough nonfiction writing books that I have something of a feel for them.  This one is due to the publisher in the first week of September, so I need to stay focused on it.  Having fulfilled my contract to DDP means I have less to draw my 'this has to be done now!' attention, though.  I do have three other books still due to another publisher, but one of those is pretty much done and I'm half way through the second.

I have turned in my chapter on contemporary fantasy, too.  Another thing off the list!

So things are looking pretty good, really.  I have a few things to get set up for the next month at FM, but other than that, I think things are looking good from the writing point of view.  Now if it would just warm up and stay there, rather than getting now every other day, I would be really happy!