apparently I have finished Cold Fire

I seem to have completed and sent to my editors the final revisions pass on Cold Fire.

Technically it's not yet been received and accepted, so I'm hesitant to proclaim that it is complete. Also, it will go to the copy editor next, and then I'll have one last chance to read through the entire thing to find those pesky repetitions and the unclear passages or spelling mistakes I miissed the other ten times through.

I know I've said before that I've finished Cold Fire, but with a Sept 2011 pub date, I think scheduling will save me from hitting the point where I start changing things I should leave as they are. In fact, the other day, I was in the process of changing a line when a beta reader praised that very line, and I realized I had reached the place where I start doubting everything when in fact there is a lot that simply should be left as is because, theoretically anyway and if you accept the premise that the book works, it works as is. If you don't accept the premise that the book works, then obviously we have a different sort of problem.

From first draft to this draft, though: wow. a lot of work and changes both subtle and major. This to me is the meat of writing now.

What I'm thinking now is: if this got published exactly as is, that would be cool.

So I'm now allowed to say, in the immortal words of Katharine Kerr:

urk urk urk