Hoist the Mainsail...

And just like that, all 40 stories for Queer Paranormal are done. Well, with one minor exception (I have to verify one bit for one chapter with a phone call tomorrow). I still have the opening and epilogue to write, but since I've been jotting down thoughts since day one, that shouldn't be too difficult. Then it's the little details, B&B contact information, addresses for places mentioned in the book (open to the public, at least), gay psychics and investigators, and the dreaded bibliography (With my organizational skills? Good luck.).

All this should be easy to accomplish within five days. Mind you, I'll probably need to touch up some chapters as dictated (if available information allows), but I wanted to be done early to give plenty of time for that. The huge 42,000 word hump is over, though. Smooth sailing ahead. As long as there aren't any hidden hurricanes...

I also started dabbling with a short story the other night. I'm not sure how good the idea is, but then again I'm my own worst critic. At least the framework is there for me to concentrate on more after this book is in motion, one way or another. Then there are the scripts I want to tackle. Work, work, work.

You might think I'd be relieved that my workload just lightened, but I still have this anxious panic coming over me. Perhaps it's hereditary (I come from a long line of worriers), or maybe I won't be able to rest completely until my struggles are in print and out of mind. But then, the real work starts. Self-promotion.

Still, it's been a fun ride, writing about places I found on this blog, toying with the notion of writing it into a book, calling up people and having interesting conversations about their ghosts, trying to trace historical information on places with little or no written history... Sometimes, I've faltered and failed to unearth a single new thing. Other times, I've found the true history correcting past authors who were completely wrong. It's been one hell of a harrowing ride over mountainous terrain, but the worst is in the past.

Of course, I really do need to get back to blogging here and catch up on months of lost reading. And then there's that plush creature I've been meaning to make...