Finally. NO MAN’S LAND. No, really. Fer super reals this time…

September 19, 2024
by Robert slater

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I just finished entering edits based on my beta readers’ feedback for NO MAN’S LAND – Deserted Lands Book III, the end of Lizzie’s trilogy.

What duz ‘finished entering edits based on my beta readers feedback’ mean? Haven’t you finished this book three times already?

Uh, yeah. Good. Glad you asked. You’re right. I did. But it wasn’t ready. My sincerest apologies to the three folks who trusted me enough to buy it when it wasn’t ready. Jazzlynn, Jamie, and Mark, I sincerely hope this has been worth the wait. If it means anything, I feel like the ending of NO MAN’S LAND and Lizzie’s Deserted Lands trilogy is good enough to share. Thanks for waiting.

This is huge for me. I’ve had Lizzie in my head wanting her story satisfactorily concluded for at least 12 years, 12 months, 12 weeks, 12 days, 12 hours, 12 minutes, 12 seconds…

ALL IS SILENCE took three rewrites of the ending. STRAIGHT INTO DARKNESS had no ending. [I know, I’ve been perseverating over this since 2016! I didn’t mean to write Empire Strikes Back and then keep people waiting for three four five six seven years.] No idea how many rewrites NO MAN’S LAND has taken. I’m ready to write other stories, but I don’t think any character will ever displace Lizzie in terms of my headspace.

So much has happened since I scrawled the scene where Lizzie translated into existence August 11th, 2011 [All dates and times are approximated to the nearest repeating {or interesting} number.] All my kids have moved out (Well, one comes back a couple times a year for more than a few days. ;-)) I am now a semi-retired teacher. I have built a house (Well, a 1200 sq ft structure that doesn’t include a kitchen, but has a bathroom, stairs, a bedroom, a garage,  and more.). I am nearing the halfway point of my 120 year lifespan. I have learned much, but know little. Loved much, been loved much in return, yet still don’t understand…

SO, I’m rambling. Yup. I have plans. I know, I hear people saying, “You always have plans.” You’re right. And I’ve been working on accepting when said plans do not come to fruition in the time-period I imagined. I have other works in the works. I–

WAIT! STOP! Tell us about now. Why did you post this?

Right. Well, . . . I need help. [No, really?] I can’t read my trilogy with enough distance to fix any remaining mistakes. I would like a few folks to read the entire trilogy and tell me what doesn’t work when you read it through in a very short period of time as opposed to writing and reading it over 13 years!

If you want to wait until it’s available to read in print, I’m good with that. I’m great with that, but if you want to help me out before the official release, find places I messed up (or could have been better), I would like to know. I need to know. Please, if you’re reading this and ever find even the littlest error in one of my works of fiction, please, please, please tell me. I know I’ve rambled, but if I go back and reread this, I’ll be inclined to edit it! [It’s an addiction.] So, if you’re interested in giving feedback before publication [or immediately after {or several years later}], I’d love to hear from you. Send me an e-mail at rob@robslater.com or a note on Facebook.

Looking forward to jumping back in to writing BRAND NEW FICTION [Even if it’s inspired by really, really old fiction {Like 1347 AD fiction (In Italian dialect <No, I didn’t read it in the original dialect>)}]

Read on. Write on. [AND wherever you live, VOTE if you can!!!]

See all the posts in this series in the table of contents.

Author’s Note: This is a beta read draft, written quickly. Please let me know if you have suggestions on making it better without increasing it’s length much. If there is a point where you are pulled from the story or don’t understand, please e-mail me at robertlslater1@gmail.com. If I use your tip, you will recieve a free e-copy of the Day Collection when it comes out. AND a mention in the credits!

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