Antonius: Second in Command

People are constantly asking me--"When's the next book coming out?"

I keep answering, "Sometime in October-- I hope." I always insert a disclaimer, since in the world of book-publishing, one can face obstacles at every turn. But that being said, I hope to firm up an actual target date very soon.

To keep everyone abreast of "where" exactly I am in the process, my manuscript has already been professionally edited twice. Now it's currently being read by three people. I trust these "beta readers" to give me their impressions and make eleventh hour suggestions, as well as encourage me with what they like about it. After editing anything my betas find, I'll be sending it to be formatted. This part unnerves me, because if there are any mistakes I don't catch in the formatting process, they'll be in print. Ugh! Lastly, it goes to the publishing company and to Amazon for pre-sales.

The next most-asked question I get is, "Where will it begin?" To answer, I'll just say that in the opening scene, Marcus Antonius has returned to Rome from Egypt, and been there for a while. His plate will be full in this segment of his story, since he'll undergo major life-changes in this book; entering politics, becoming Caesar's second-in-command, and taking center-stage in the power-struggle that was constantly underway and shifting in late-Republican Rome. Character-wise, he changes too. Marcus still grieves over love lost, but will face marriage again, along with its responsibilities. Due to Roman marriages being "convenient", he's not a big fan of matrimony. He will also learn that ruthlessness is a necessary evil in his world, so that he's able to remain at the top of the heap. As the tale progresses, there will be plenty of BIG battle scenes, intrigue, personal problems, as well as more tragedy--something poor Marcus seemed to endure at every turn. All in all, the book will be fast-paced and exciting with a whole LOT of extraordinary things going on, sometimes all at once.

This summer, most of my time was spent editing my manuscript and then revisiting places in Rome that had to do with integral scenes in the book. And yes--I found mistakes--and corrected them! But the trip also kept in the forefront what a grand and enormous "empire" Rome was. The monuments are breathtaking, even to the 21st century tourist, who can only stand in awe of the scale and size of some of the buildings that remain.

I am getting jazzed and excited to share the next portion of Marcus's story with all of you--my readers. And I hope you're ready for a wild ride, which will take you onto battlements of hill-forts in ancient Britain and France, into storm-chopped waters of the Adriatic, underground into Rome's sewers, and finally onto dusty battlefields in Greece.

Hang onto your hats, people. Antonius: Second in Command is ON ITS WAY!

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Muddy waters of the Enipeus River in Thessaly, Greece, near the spot where Marcus Antonius commanded Caesar's left wing during the Battle of Pharsalus.