Decision time...

I began working on sketches for "David Martin" -- nothing major, just quickie ideas of what might work and what the Medieval period's houses and castles looked like. Conwy Castle in Wales is a good sample. And I have a copy of David MacCauley's "Castle" showing the building of one and has lovely sketches of how the people dressed and what the interiors are like. I've also found photos...

These are reconstructed huts from the 13th Century.

Inside the home.

Someone else's drawing of a castle, good for logistics.

But I had a moment come to me for "Place of Safety", today, that set up Brendan's plan to move to Dublin with a girl he loves. Time, place, characters, conflict, you name it. It feels like he's getting restless, and this is his gentle nudge for me to stop being a wuss and buckle down.

Thing is, if I decide to work on DM, it means a commitment of at least 6 months...and I wanted to have a first draft of POS done by the end of the year. I wouldn't be able to make it. And I've been working at this book for so long...

It also means abandoning Jake and "The Vanishing of Owen Taylor" till next year. And I want to finish that one, too.

So which way do I go? I don't have time for all of them, not with this job. And I can't quit or go anywhere else because I won't make enough to live on and pay my bills and back taxes. Plain and simple.

I hate making decisions like this...