Desert Update

I just finished revising and editing (again!) my little book of stories for grown-ups called The Desert. My apologies to anyone who ended up with one of the earlier, less-well-edited versions (both of you - heh)

I added a few short pieces, trimmed a couple that needed trimming (oh, it's always so hard to delete stuff, even if it really needs to be deleted). One of the major changes is that the story titled The Dropper has a whole new ending. The original ending was too blunt, sort of a hit-ya-over-the-head-with-the-message kind of ending. Now it's more ambiguous and more open to interpretation. Much, much better. I also deleted a "commentary on the Psalm" I wrote - the Psalm should stand or fall on its own.

I think this book is the best thing I've ever written. I usually think that about my latest project, but this time I really mean it. My Simplicity Cycle is easily the most practical thing I've written (and the most likely to be commercially successful). The Boomer Sisters series has the clearest, easiest to define audience (kids). But The Desert is really special. I think it's my best writing and my best thinking, and I don't say that lightly.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with it. As I consider it, I'm a little bit haunted by this sketch from the Indexed blog.