As reported in other posts, my main writing work at present is China Tour, a novel of events in Communist China in 1983. I had planned for this to be about 75,000 words. However, as I worked through it, it seemed to be running shorter than that. After a week adding 10,000 words, the book is at 53,600 words. At this point I think it will be completed at between 60,000 and 65,000 words.

As I say, that’s shorter than I thought it would be. Is it too short for a spy novel? A typical romance is around 50,000 words; a general novel might be 75,000 words. A sci-fi or fantasy is typically 90,000. An epic is 125,000 or much more. So I’m not sure what I have here. I do not that there’s no point in “padding” the novel with useless stuff that doesn’t advance the story or enlighten the reader concerning the characters.

If I’m right, then I’m near the end of the novel. Next I have what I call the temptation scenes. After that it’s the culmination of the book as the CIA operation takes place in Beijing. Then will be the denouement chapter to close out. I see all of this as being about 10,000 words, unless the operation itself takes more than that.

So I’m on the downhill part of the novel. My experience with my first two novels is that the writing goes faster at this point. Maybe that’s because the motivation is there to stick to business and get it done. Maybe it’s because the story is so familiar at this point, as are the characters, that writing scenes is easier at this point.

Whatever the reason, I may be a week away from finishing. That’s exciting. I would like to finish it before February 7, when Lynda and I take off for a road trip. I’d like to have it with me and use some evenings on that trip for editing. That seems like a better vacation/business trip activity than new writing.

The news on another book is also exciting. This isn’t even on my list of publication goals for the year. It’s my poetry book, Father Daughter Day. This has been essentially done since 2006. I’ve made minor tweaks in the years since. The delay in publishing it has been illustrations. I don’t think the book will sell as well if it’s text only as it will if it is generously illustrated.

But how to get an illustrator when you have no money to pay one and when hopes of sales are just that: hopes? I tried to get some art teachers at the high school and university level interested as a practicum project for their class, to no avail. I checked with a couple of amateur artists I know, and couldn’t get them to do it. So I let it sit. I should also say that I never made finding an illustrator a priority. When I had a free moment and this book came to mind, I did something about an illustrator. Otherwise the book sat dormant. I have one more poem I’d like to add to it, but it’s not essential.

So back in October 2012 one of those times came, when thinking of the book and having the name of an artist I know both came together at the same time. I asked her about it and she sounded interested. Then I didn’t hear anything, leading me to believe she wasn’t interested.

Then yesterday she contacted me. She had computer troubles as well as family and life issues. Yes, she said, she was interested, and was anxious to get started. So I recent the book and some sample illustrations. She’s going over it now. We will have to have a conversation about deadlines, speculative compensation, etc. Depending on her schedule we might not be able to get it done this year. Then again, if she works fast and we keep most of the illustrations simple, it may be done this year.

This also is exciting. I’m trying not to get too excited, actually, in case it falls through. China Tour will be published, probably before April 1. I’d love to have Father Daughter Day available on Amazon before Fathers’ Day, though that’s probably not possible. All in all, however, I see my publishing much farther down the road now than it seemed to be a week ago.