And I can say that honestly. I shipped the last half of Knight off to betas this morning. It’s not perfect and there are a few chapters that haven’t gotten the attention they deserve (mostly because they come at a part of the story where I’m already emotionally exhausted), but it’s pretty much in the shape it should be in going to the publisher. I have 23 days left to get it ready to send.

It’s a funny feeling, and those of you who write will probably recognize it. As you wind down to the submission date, a feeling of inevitability settles over you. You start recognizing the fact that this is what the story will be. That perfect image–the beautiful flow of words and emotions that existed before you first opened a file and named it–that’s been absorbed and reshaped within the reality that now faces you. And you have to accept that it will never be what it was in your head. Some of it will–there are some lovely stretches of emotion in Knight–but there are parts that I occasionally feel the urge to apologize to. Not because they’re bad, but because I feel like I failed them somehow and made them less than they could have been.

I hope to make it up to them, after a small break and with the invaluable help of my betas. In the meantime, I’ve gotten involved in the Goodreads MM Romance writing event: Love Has No Boundaries. If you’re a member of this group, here’s the link to my prompt: LINK . Aren’t they lovely? There’s a little except at the bottom of the thread. I can promise more hijinks as the month grows old, since a group of us has decided to have an informal ‘thread hop’ during the event. Stay tuned and I’ll let you know when it starts and who’s in on it.