I’m checking in really quick here, Patsy.

Nothing too long. Just refreshing the page to show I’m still alive and active. I’ve never been a major player online, mostly content with following people who I thought were worthwhile to follow. Now, I don’t know. Twitter is repeatedly reminding me that I would not be friends with a LOT of people and that’s okay. It can create this false sense of “everyone has to like me and I have to like everyone otherwise my follower count will only remain in the hundreds) and that’s terrible. You don’t have to like everyone. I’m sure you’ve hated people you know in real life for their garbage opinions and terrible friends.

It also reminds me, in this 4th era of quarantine-like lockdown (because the Delta Variant will NOT be chill) that I have real friends, in real life, that I can’t wait to hang out with in real life, again, soon.

Project: UPDATE

Project: GREY’s 3rd draft is all done. I know. Yay.

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This means my very helpful beta readers are taking a look at it. Once they get back to me with what the think, I consider that a 4th draft done. I’ll go over it, make the changes, add in bits that need to be added in, rework sentences that, upon reading for 9th time sound just a little strange, and, finally, have a book to query.

The goal? November. (This also explains why I’m not writing on here a lot. I know I’ve said it before, but my writing time every day is limited so it comes down to writing for this page on a regular basis or writing the stuff that will hopefully get me paid one day.)

Typically, agents and publishing houses go on a bit of a mini hiatus at the end of the year. Rightfully so, as I’m sure reading hundreds of thousands of failed book submissions would make you want to reconsider talking to God, you know? So I’ll query Project: GREY most of November then take December to keep working on Project: DEED’s 2nd draft.

Project: DEED, by the way, is close to being finished, too. A middle-grade realistic fantasy (still not sure how to classify it, since half the book is a realistic fiction/slice-of-life kind of thing, while the other half is fantasy), the book is looking to clock in at just past 70,000 words. I crossed the 55,000 word mark yesterday, and it’s a rush to the finish, so I’ll be finishing that one up in the coming week or two.

I hope you’re doing well. October is almost here an that usually comes with the end of the year. Take some time, turn all media off, no music, no phone, and just watch your kids. You’d be surprised by what they can do.

Take care.

Thanks for reading,

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Twitter: @robacosta

Contact: robertmichaelacosta@gmail.com