I finished the fourth Marla Mason novel last night. Only took a few thousand words. I suspect the ending is a bit rushed, and the overall word count came in a tad shorter than I expected (it's about 81,000 words -- the others hover just above or below 85K apiece), but it'll get longer in revision, since I can already think of a couple of scenes that need to be expanded. I've got about three weeks to fix it before turning it in, which should be doable.

Still, hey: it's a draft! Now I get a day of pure exultation at having the hard part done, followed by days of vaguely directionless frustrated ennui and the persistent sense that I should be working. (At least, that's what Heather says my post-novel pattern is, and she should know.)

The new working title is Burning the Lot, but it probably won't be called that ultimately. I'll figure something out.

My editor sent a preliminary sketch of the artwork for Dead Reign, and though I can't share it, I can say: it kicks ass. Marla, looking hot and badass, wielding a big sword. How you gonna beat that?