Forrest Aguirre, in the Leaves

After a grueling week, I'm finally done with major edits to Heraclix & Pomp! Tomorrow (no, wait, later today), whenever I peel myself out of bed (it's late here at Aguirre Mansions), I will run through two more continuity edits. Then, I'm sending it off to the editor and having my two oldest sons give it a read (one of them is a better editor than yours truly - no lie, he's amazing and doesn't hold back when he sees something wrong). After it's passed those "straight face tests," it's done.

Which means that I can plug away some more at Godel, Escher, Bach, or maybe read something else entirely, starting next week. Man. Reading for pleasure; for non-editing purposes. I almost forgot what that was like. I've got a pile of about a dozen books to get through now. Should be fun!

Thanks to all of you for the kind words about the book. And the cover, too. I appreciate it. Please tell your friends about it! You can point them to my blog, hook us up on Twitter or Google+ or Tumblr, or, even better, point them over to me on booklikes!  If they preorder Heraclix & Pomp through amazon.com (yes, I know, evil empire, etc), they get 23% off the hardcover, by the way. Better yet, have them order it through their local bookstore (it will be distributed by Publishers Group West). Or ask your local librarian to order up a copy so you and friends can share it. I'm hoping to give a few copies away on Booklikes, if you're the gambling type. If nothing else, let your friends know about the cool cover. I can't take any credit for it, outside of a few suggestions to the publisher, but my gosh, that cover just kicks butt. I've had several people tell me that they're going to buy the book simply because the cover is so cool!

And the story inside is just as cool! I feel that the cover really reflects the story's atmosphere. I mean, a flesh golem, fairies, devils, sorcery, existentialism, enlightenment, political intrigue, and adventure, all set in the 18th-Century Holy Roman and Ottoman Empires . . . and Hell! 

I've been writing for a few years now, and I'm fairly content with most of my writing to this point (outside of a few early stories which can be found in the bowels of the internet, if you look hard enough - hint: don't bother). But this novel, this is something special. I hope you'll be along for the ride. Heraclix and Pomp - you're going to like them, I think.

Alright, I'll stop gushing for a while. A couple of days, at least. I've got that TBR pile to dive into!