A few days ago I delivered the final, thoroughly edited and revised, eighth-draft manuscript for the second “Terra Incognita” novel, THE MAP OF ALL THINGS.  704 pages, 177,000 words, with a summary of Book 1 and a complete glossary, as well as a marvelous new map drawn by Richard Ware.

Many of you have written to ask how long it takes to write a novel.  I outlined THE MAP OF ALL THINGS during our Panama Canal cruise in November 2008 (and you’ll see some of those details in the novel).  I had all the first draft chapters dictated by early spring, then spent months editing to get the book in shape for the editor at Orbit Books and the group of test readers, all of whom received the 5th draft manuscript by July 1. 

After receiving all of their comments by the end of the month, I spent the next weeks (including while on the road for THE WINDS OF DUNE tour) doing the major rewrites, additions, and changes.  After DragonCon (Labor Day, early September), I was able to concentrate on the fine editing (the 7th draft) and then Rebecca gave the manuscript her line-by-line copy edit; I keyed in all of those changes (about 7 days of work) and finally delivered the 8th draft to the publisher for production.

Within the next few months I will receive the publisher’s copy edit, then the typeset galleys for proofing, and the book will finally be released in June 2010. 

Throughout all this, I have been working on other projects—most notably HELLHOLE with Brian Herbert, the lyrics for the second “Terra Incognita” rock CD, editing BLOOD LITE 2, and a young-adult series about the space program.

Next month, I will be plotting and outlining Terra Incognita #3, THE KEY TO CREATION, which should come out in June 2011.