BLACK-EYED KIDS

Yes, folks, it’s finally done. I completed the final draft last night and sent it off to my publisher this morning.

At 24,000 words, this one is probably closer to a novella than a novelette, but it will still be the longest Felix Renn story published to date. To give you an idea of just how long it is, “Temporary Monsters” and “The Ash Angels” both clocked in at about 12,000 words a piece.

I don’t want to reveal too much about the plot of “Black-Eyed Kids,” but I will say that it combines the hard-boiled action of “Temporary Monsters” with the supernatural suspense of “The Ash Angels.”

While it was always my intention this time around to write a longer story, the truth is I didn’t have much of a choice. These days the Felix stories I’m working on don’t want to be short, they want to be long. Sometimes very long. I suspect this is my unconscious mind’s way of preparing me for a Felix Renn novel. At least I hope that’s the case, because my next project is… yes, the first Felix Renn novel.

It’s been a long time coming, but I feel I’m finally ready. The story is already outlined, so if I bust my ass and keep distractions to a minimum, I should have a first draft finished by the fall.

Until then, “Black-Eyed Kids” should keep all you Black Landers sated. It will be out in September from Burning Effigy Press.