Back from Anaheim. Several people are looking at the swordfighting ms now, so I will take a break from it. I need one anyway.

The question is, what next? I have multiple projects going, so the choices are:

1. graphic novel script, first draft completed. This is a completely new format for me, and I have no artistic background, so I hesitate to move forward without at least some idea of what I need to do. There's no point in poking at it helplessly with a stick. A writer friend offered to look at it, so I'll send to her; maybe we can discuss it at some point and see if anything strikes her strongly about it.

2. midgrade semi-historical I started a billion years ago. I think I finally found the right voice and pov character for this, but I'm about midgraded out right now, after so much intensive work on the swordfighting ms.

3. sequel to swordfighting book. See above. Plus, what's the point? If I start it and then can't sell the first book anyhow, my heart with be doubly and triply broken. Why punish myself if I'm not driven to write this ms right now, above all else?

4. sequel to Night Road. This is what I'm leaning toward, maybe because I ended up talking about NR so much at ALA, and also because I'm ready for some darkness and angst for a change. I have some scenes already sketched out--in fact, I have an entire ms for the book. It's just all with the wrong MC. I know who the MC is now, and what he lacks and fears. I have an antagonist I really like, in a twisted way; I've never actually had a real antagonist before, one that I had no sympathy for. I understand him, but I have no sympathy for him. I don't know if that's good or not. It might not be; it might make him cardboardy. But no point in fretting about that right now--it's just something to keep in mind.

My main worry about the NR sequel is whether (in my head) I've pulled away from NR enough moodwise and characterwise to do right by a completely different story. Also, I can feel echoes of the MC from Repossessed in what I'm thinking about this new MC, and I don't think that's a good sign. This new guy has got to be his own person. But maybe if I take what I already have and start reworking it from his pov, and write this one brand new scene that I know is his alone--which I have been excited about for some time, even though it's not a big deal of a scene--I can start to get a stronger bead on what I'm doing.

One thing I must get straight in my head is how this guy (he's a heme) deals with omnis. Up till now, he's been confused with Cole in my mind. I've got to get him out on his own.