Finished! More or less

Okay, I have indeed finished Keziah’s story for the Black Dog collection. I’m not sure I like the ending. I mean the actual last few paragraphs. It can be hard to get that part right. I’m going to let this story rest for one week and then read through it, smooth out a few things, and see if the ending looks okay at that point and fiddle with it as necessary.

I don’t usually do this, but at the moment, the story goes along as usual and then says Keziah’s Father’s Name instead of, you know, an actual name. I didn’t want to take time to look up names and pick one, plus I need to read through Keziah’s first story and make absolutely sure I never referred to her father by name before. I don’t think I did. But I’m not positive. Gotta make sure before giving him a different name because that would sure be embarrassing. He doesn’t actually appear in this story, by the way, but he is referred to by name.

There are a few other details like this. I bold that sort of thing to make sure I go back and check things and make final decisions about details and look up the Latin phrase for GET OUT and whatever else I didn’t want to do while actually putting words in a row. If you’re ever beta-reading for me and see something bolded, this is always why. Anyway, I need to handle all those details. But the ending will be the only part that requires significant thought.

I really, really like the ending of Ethan’s story in particular. By the way. I’m setting that story last for various reasons, but one reason is that I particularly like that ending and want to leave readers with that moment.

Oh, and I wrote a short pamphlet! “Dimilioc for Dummies,” a guide for guests, involuntary or otherwise, who might visit Dimilioc. Miguel wrote it, of course. I’m not sure whether KDP can handle pamphlet-style insets; or rather, I’m not sure I know how to make it handle that sort of thing, but I expect I’ll get it in the collection one way or another. It starts like this:

Welcome to Dimilioc!

Whether you’re here as a prisoner, hostage, liaison, or guest, your stay will be more comfortable if you know what to expect and how to behave while you’re here. This pamphlet should serve as a useful guide to interacting with Dimilioc wolves, with the Pure, and with human people who are members of or connected to Dimilioc.

You’ve probably read the introductory pamphlet “Black Dogs for Dummies,” so you should be familiar with Dimilioc’s historic role in the supernatural community, with the difference between Dimilioc wolves and ordinary black dogs, and with the ten basic rules for interacting with black dogs—

Actually, I wouldn’t mind a review of those rules.

Oh, okay, sure. …

It’s funny and possibly useful for a guest. Or I think so.