Just to let people know, the final draft of 1824: THE ARKANSAS WAR has been accepted by Del Rey, so that’s done. I’m just finishing 1635: THE CANNON LAW at the moment, and should have that turned in next week. At that point, I’ll take a short break from novel writing in order to:

First, I need to finish three short stories for Jim Baen’s UNIVERSE:

— The first episode of “Fish Story,” which I’m writing with Andrew Dennis and Dave Freer. That’s scheduled for the first issue, coming out at the beginning of June.

— “The Realm of Words,” a solo story set in my Joe’s World universe, which is scheduled to appear in the second issue.

— “Crawlspace,” a novelette Dave Freer and I are writing, set in our Rats, Bats & Vats universe. That’s currently scheduled for the fifth issue of the magazine, coming out in February 2007.

At that point, I’m going to the Nebula Awards in Tempe, AZ, following which my wife Lucille and I will be visiting my mother and sister in Las Vegas. We’ll be back around the middle of May. I plan to catch up on a lot of the editing work for JBU on the trip.

Once I get back, I’ll be starting on 1634: THE BALTIC WAR. Dave Weber will also be at the Nebula Awards, so he and I will have a chance to touch base there before starting the novel.

Eric