THE DEMI-MONDE:SPRING

Just sent the re-edit of the second volume in the Demi-Monde series off to Jo Fletcher at Quercus. I got the typeset version back about a month ago and it was obvious that I'd over-written the thing. Not having read it for a year it seemed flaccid and ponderous so I decided to slim it down. So I've been working flat out culling the thing so that's it's gone from 191,000 words to a little over 150,000 (the same length as 'Winter' which was always my target). I've ditched three set-piece scenes which didn't really move the action or the plot along. A couple of characters have gone (including Botnikov, who I liked a lot) but I think they died in a good cause. I've also invented a new form of intra-Demi-Mondian communication which I'm pretty pleased with.

All-in-all it is I think a better book. It's simultaneously lighter and darker than Winter so it'll be interesting to see what Jo thinks of it. Now all that's left is to tweak 'Summer' to reflect these changes and then to dive back into 'Fall'. The end beckons!!!!!