Things That Make Me Happy…

…include finishing books.

Last week, I typed the words “the end” on the third book in The Easy Part series. Last night, I connected the dots and truly tied all the pieces of the manuscript together. It (Party Lines) still needs a massive amount of work, but there is a finished first draft. (ETA: for tiny spoilers, here’s the Pinterest board for the book.)

It’s the fifth book I’ve completed but the first time I’ve finished a series. There was a moment in the spring when I was promoting Special Interests, editing Private Politics, and writing Party Lines, and for the first time, I felt like an author and not merely someone who dabbles with words.

I have more thoughts about that, and about how I write, but, given the number of words I produced in the last week, I’m going to retreat to my cave and catch up on some sleep before my next deadline.