Seanan McGuire (seanan_mcguire) wrote,
Seanan McGuire
seanan_mcguire
  • Mood: stunned
  • Music: Bloodhound Gang, "Bad Touch."

Alive or dead, the truth won't rest. Rise up while you can.

Newsflesh trilogy, final stats.

Start date: September 4th, 2005.
End date: September 2nd, 2011.

Volumes: Three.
Words: 455,814.
Pages: An awful lot.

...so yeah. That happened.

Last night, at approximately 9:15PM, I finished processing the last of the editorial changes to Blackout, and kicked the manuscript off to The Agent for a final typo check. She kicked it back to me this morning, and at approximately 5:21AM, I finished correcting the last of the grammatical and typographical errors. The book is back with her for a final final check, and then it's off to The Other Editor, to begin the process of transforming into something you can read.

It's over.

I have other things to do in this universe, other stories to tell and to enjoy telling, but this story, this trilogy...it's over. I am finished with the Masons. Their tale is done.

I've never finished anything like this before. I feel a little numb and a little scalded and a little overwhelmed, all at once.

Thank you. Thank you to everyone who's read these books, recommended these books, loved these books, hated these books, or interacted with them in any way. Thank you to Michael and Amanda, Kate and GP, Spider and Steve, Alan and Jude, Brooke and Vixy and Bill and Mike and Rae and Sunil and Amy and Cat and...and...and everyone. Just thank you.

Thank you for helping me tell this story. I never could have done it on my own.

Alive or dead, the truth won't rest. Thank you for helping me to rise up while I could.
Tags: being productive, blackout, deadline, feed, gratitude, mira grant, turning it in, writing, zombies
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  • 125 comments

loki_dip

September 2 2011, 17:33:20 UTC 5 years ago Edited:  September 2 2011, 17:34:06 UTC

I am very excited for this book! And I seriously hope there is lots more Dr Abby (who I would love to be).

No need to reply to this comment since you must be crazy right now but I thought you may enjoy this story:

Started a new job last month (infection and immunity research, lots of fun!) and got talking to someone (as you do) about zombie literature. We raved about our favourites and Tuesday last week I leant her Feed in return for World War Z the survival guide. I was off work Friday - Tuesday produced Deadline for her on Wednesday in case she wanted the next one.

She looked sheepish and replied that she'd finished Feed and couldn't wait until Wednesday so had gone out, bought Deadline (and a copy of Feed to be completist) and had already finished reading. We spent the rest of the day discussing it over blood samples. :)

I feel kinda bad that I am only a measly 200 pages into World War Z now. But I need to finish Daniel Defoe's Journal of the Plague Year before I continue.

seanan_mcguire

September 2 2011, 17:34:11 UTC 5 years ago

That...

...that makes me REALLY HAPPY. Thank you!

loki_dip

September 2 2011, 17:37:35 UTC 5 years ago

I'm really glad. :) Every scientist I've know who's read it loves your pseudo science and that is saying something. (Particularly as we almost universally mock the CSI trilogy).

*counts down the days until next May*

seanan_mcguire

September 2 2011, 17:39:22 UTC 5 years ago

I work very hard on my pseudo science. Wait until you see the tapeworms!

loki_dip

September 2 2011, 17:41:50 UTC 5 years ago Edited:  September 2 2011, 17:42:33 UTC

It shows! I have confidence that I am never going to throw your books down in outrage because it says something like 'Aspergillus is a bacteria' (grammar and scientific errors in four words) or show E. coli that are three times the size as a red blood cell.

Oo... parasitology is fun. :) I shall look forward to it. (It a really morbid way. One day I will be less creepy. I think.)

seanan_mcguire

September 2 2011, 17:43:20 UTC 5 years ago

Yeah, when a character who was trying to dumb down the science for the sake of being understood by non-scientists referred to malaria as an example of a disease transmitted by mosquitoes, I got a hundred angry emails. Not because the text was shocking, but because they thought better of me.

I'm still giggling.

spectralbovine

September 2 2011, 17:58:05 UTC 5 years ago

Is it...not transmitted by mosquitoes?

seanan_mcguire

September 2 2011, 17:59:26 UTC 5 years ago

It is, but it's not a virus.