"Vulpiran's Honor" Progressing Rapidly

Work continues apace on the next volume of "The Soul-Linked Saga," The Vulpirans' Honor.  Laura Jo keeps giving me chapters to read (she usually doesn't do this at this stage of the game--this early on I usually only see chapters where she has some particular concern or question) and I continue to be impressed both by the progress in the project and the quality of what she is writing.

She continues to grow as a writer. You are going to meet some characters in this book, and have a look at the world from their perspective, who are very different in some ways from those whom you have previously met. I won't tell you how, just wait.

This book is also different in that it is the first in which a child is a significant character. Sure, children have been major plot elements in earlier books, but this is the first one whom you will get to know as an individual who speaks and interacts meaningfully with other characters and who has a distinctive personality. I am impressed with how she renders the child's point of view and how real the interactions are. If you don't smile or even laugh out loud at her dialog, check your pulse.

And, what I call the "Big Picture" story arc moves along as well. There are major revelations in this book about the Xanti and significant developments in what is being done about them, not to mention some really cool internal Xanti political machinations that give you insight into their truly Byzantine power plays.

So, expect a deep, interesting, fun, heart-rending, heart-warming, and exciting book. When? Look for it between Halloween and Thanksgiving--that's my distinctly unofficial guess right now.