Guys... I Finished the Book!

So yeah… It’s been 24 weeks. 24 weeks since I decided to leave my job and devote myself to the goal of finishing my novel, The Cube. Some of that time was spent waiting for feedback. Some of that time was spent exploring my city Chicago. I spent time with friends and family and got other avenues of writing set up like my #WritersQuick5 interviews and my Amache’s America series. Some of that time was spent doing plain old chores and some of that time (lately) has been spent setting the gears in motion to reenter the traditional workforce (more on that soon).  

But, the goal… the ultimate goal… was always to finish The Cube… and ladies and gentlemen… I’m pleased to tell you that as of today I’ve reached that goal. Yes, that’s right folks. I have myself a book (insert appropriate ‘hurrah’ bitmoji here). 

At the beginning of the week I received the last batch of notes from the editor I’m working with. I’ve made my final changes and today I sent the book out for proofreading. Once that last step is complete, and I’m sure that all the commas and periods and quotation marks are in all the right places, I will be up and running to start querying agents. 

I can’t tell you what a high it is to know that I have accomplished my goal and that the seemingly random mid-week dream I had sketched down on a scrap of notebook paper back in 2011 is now a fully fleshed out, honest to goodness, novel. I now have something that is worlds apart from what I started with, imbued with the original intent and essence of my dream, but through hard work and great collaboration is now so much better. It is a story that I love and that I want to be told… a novel that is both topical and hopefully timeless… something that I am honestly proud of. 

So, stay tuned. I’m going to spend the next few weeks getting all of my agent queries in line so that when the proofreading is finished I can go ahead and press send on as many query letters as I can muster. Agents be on the lookout. The pitch for The Cube is soon coming your way. 

As always, thank you all for your support and encouragement. It continues to mean the world to me that so many of you support my dream of becoming a published author. I really, truly, can’t wait for you to read The Cube. 

To commemorate the occasion, something I have never done before… here’s a passage from the book itself. The FINISHED book. YAY!  

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​He found his way down to 57th Street and parked in front of Medici’s. He wished they were just going there. Medici’s had been there forever and he knew he liked the food. But they were going a few doorsteps down to a new place called ‘The Cube’s Annex.’ Max’s choice, Max’s night, he reminded himself.

“Stella, pay for parking,” he said as he powered down the car.

“Parking paid,” Stella replied. Will climbed out of the car and pressed his palm against the side to lock it. He jogged across the street and stood in front of the restaurant. On the storefront marquee, instead of the word ‘Cube’ there was a holographic three-dimensional rotating cube in between the words ‘The’ and ‘Annex.’ “Subtle,” he whispered under his breath. He allowed himself one eye roll to get it out of his system and then pushed open the door to the restaurant. 

“Are you here to dine or to play?” the hostess asked. Will looked around. He saw that lining the far wall of the restaurant were standing VR stations for headset play. 

“I’m here to dine, please. I believe a friend of mine is already here. Yes, I see her right there,” Will said, pointing to the back. Sitting at a four person table was Molly, captivated by whatever she was reading. Her long black hair was slightly covering her face. Will always wondered how women could see when their hair was in their way like that.

The hostess motioned for Will to go ahead and Will started his way through the restaurant. Everything around him was white. White walls, white tables, white chairs, white uniforms for the wait staff. Made sense for a Cube restaurant. There was nothing quite as blinding white as the inside of The Cube, right before game play. The normal color of the clothes of the patrons was a bit jarring against all of the white, like a jelly handprint on a wedding dress. 

On the wall opposite the VR stations was a giant interface, split into multiple views, all showing Cubes from around the country. A small child was touching one of the screens, each touch flipping the view to another live shot – Alaska, Montana, West Virginia. The largest view, in the center of the wall, was locked and was broadcasting the Illinois Cube (although everyone called it the Chicago Cube). The Cube was huge, about three stories tall, hovering at an angle over The Cube Deck base. It was radiant, light bouncing and reflecting off of the thousands of tiny solar panels that made up the surface of all six of its sides. Surrounding The Cube was a large stadium and miles of grounds and open park space, but the interface was zoomed in on The Cube itself, slowly spinning in place.