Word count -- MIDNIGHT BLUE-LIGHT SPECIAL.

[seanan_mcguire]

Words: 3,982.
Total words: 7,776.
Reason for stopping: I have finished chapter two, and need to get dressed.
Music: lots of dance club music.
The cats: all three of them are in the bed. It's freaky.

Chapter two is done! Chapter two is done! I really meant to be further along in this book by now, but, well...new kitten, major flu, Alice nearly dying, OryCon, and extensive revisions on One Salt Sea mucked things up a bit. I'm getting back on track, and the first step was getting this chapter locked down. What's that? Is that a finished chapter? Why yes, I do believe that it is. CHEESE AND CAKE!

I love the InCryptid setting. It manages to be incredibly grim and serious, and incredibly light and fluffy, all at the same time. I often say that if we're working with a seriousness scale of one to ten, with Newsflesh being an eight or nine, and Toby being a six or seven, InCryptid is a two or three (except when it's not). And wow, is it refreshing to be able to say "you know what? You don't want to hear me, you just want to dance."

I think I'm going to work up an end-of-book "cryptid handbook" for the published books, including the names of the various cryptid species, and short descriptions of same. This will help a lot, with a lot of things, including my firm desire not to completely re-explain the cuckoos in every single volume.

I'm so excited!

Comments

[archangelbeth]

*does a happy dance too!*

A cryptid handbook sounds very, very useful.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

Thirded! And I'm really looking forward to the books (all of them).

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

So do I, and in this case, things are weird enough to warrant it. Wait 'til you see the crazy website extras...

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

It depends on my publisher, among everything else.

[archangelbeth]

Crossing fingers. Perhaps a website extra, if pagecount does not permit? But only if you'd be making it anyway, in that case, really...

(It's past midnight; babbling now. Shutting up now. >_> )

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

It really, REALLY depends on a lot of things.

[aliciaaudrey.livejournal.com]

I like it when authors put in that kind of list: when you're going to use a lot of jargon or invented (or obscure) terms, it helps a great deal to have a reference. A confused reader is a grumpy reader.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Agreed. I really like it, when it's appropriate.

"As you know, Professor..."

[amberley.livejournal.com]

Aww, and I was looking forward to having the demon mice explain the cuckoos in the odd-numbered volumes and the cuckoos explain the demon mice in the even-numbered volumes.

But a cryptid handbook at the end of each book sounds nice too. Thanks!

Re: "As you know, Professor..."

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Hee.

[mkellis.livejournal.com]

Apropos the news, 'Fly Little Bird' came up last night on random on my iPod last night. Twice.

Perhaps something's trying to say something...

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Awesome!

[netpositive.livejournal.com]

I was mentioning to a friend that you'd sold the first two Incryptid books, and that I was looking forward to them the most of anything you've written about writing so far.

And then he asked me what they were about.

And I said, "Um, well, these people who study cryptids." And then we looked up the definition of 'cryptid' in Wikipedia and I said, "Oh, *that's* what they are. Neat. That should be really interesting."

And of course he marvelled on, "So... if you hadn't actually looked up 'cryptid' until now, why were you looking forward to these books so much?"

"Well, there's ballroom dancing, and talking mice. But most of all, because when she writes about writing this series, they sound like so much fun."

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

That's fantastic. :)

cryptid handbook sounds usefull

[maverick-weirdo.livejournal.com]

It's all causes and effects

Re: cryptid handbook sounds usefull

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

Like I said above, it really, really depends on a lot of factors (including, since this isn't something I get paid for, how much people pressure me).

[yellowblackhaze.livejournal.com]

I'm going to agree, little extras are helpful and appreciated with certain books. I, for one, like the pronunciation guides at the front of the Toby Daye's. They also help the more casual reader see just how much work has gone into the creation of the volume they hold in their hand.

[seanan-mcguire.livejournal.com]

I <3 the pronunciation guides. They save my soul sometimes.