Weighing in a just over 35,000 words, the first draft of my newest middle grade novel is now complete.

Calm down cute, fluffy, puppy. Complete is a misleading word as there are still many miles to go before it is actually finished.

No, no. Don’t be a sad panda. Now I’ll set the draft aside to marinade, pickle, steep, sleep (Oh, sorry. That’s what I should be doing now since it is past midnight…). Normally, I’d let it rest for two weeks to a month, but I’d love to get it off my desk by the new year (resolutions and all), so I may speed up the process. Next comes a revision, then beta readers, more revisions, and a thorough edit after that.

I think so too!