News and Updates

I heard from the publisher over the weekend and hopefully "Game Faces" and "Dabblers" will soon be out in paperback! Can hardly wait to get my author's copies.

I started writing a blurb for "Where Power Lies" in the interest of coming up with a cover concept, either that I could do myself or hire someone to do. Of course, I still have a long way to go on the proofing from hard copy that I began, and then making all the corrections to the manuscript. You'd think as many times as this story has been rewritten, I'd have it down by now, but alas... Sometimes, how I respond to reading my own book relates to my particular mood at the time. I had thought I would hold off doing more editing for a bit, but I may get back to it sooner rather than later.

That's because I'm stalled in "Mongan Manor" for the moment. It's time for Paul to get involved in solving the mysteries, an his interactions with the other characters are crucial. They will reveal things in very subtle ways which makes the coming passages tricky to plan and write. While I'm making every effort to not fall into the same plot pattern as in the first two books, there is one pattern that stubbornly exerts its influence, and that's not necessarily bad. Stefanie absorbs events and details and she reacts to them in her own emotional way. Paul comes in and applies his logical thinking and people-reading skills to pull her observations together to indicate what people are planning and doing. This is their synergy, filling in each other's gaps in ability. In this outing, in the name of changing things up, Paul is not resistant to the uncanny and Stefanie is not hiding anything from him any more. I guess another recurring theme is that Stefanie's psychic abilities continue to develop, but that's intentional. It's part of her character growth, which in turn is what makes me want to keep writing the same characters.

Also on my mind of late is more promotional activities. I need to polish my book brochure for a slicker look, as well as on-site materials for book fairs, etc. Since there may be speaking engagements in my future, I should probably outline a talk to give. I'm also considering a sort of book give-away, but I need to work out the details before I announce it.

Planning Ahead

I have an errand to run tomorrow which will require me to sit and wait for an unknown period of time, so my first activity this morning was to print a copy of "Where Power Lies" to proofread. In the past, proofing from paper has allowed me to find errors I missed, and I hope it will this time too. I'm still thinking about giving self-publishing a try on this one, just for the experience. Got to do a cover for it as yet too.

Some work happening on "Mongan Manor," but I find myself at a point where I need to figure out what happens next. Paul has arrived at the manor and is about to meet some of the family there. He'll go head to head with one of them who happens to be a genius, too. I need to plan that conversation carefully to move things in the right direction. It's also about time to provide some more clues and perhaps for Stefanie to have a warning vision of something bad about to happen, i.e., the murder. Seems I have a few things to iron out in order to move forward.

Still prevaricating on the whole book trailer thing. It's going to take a good deal of work even after I decide what I want the finished product to look like. I have to wonder if my time would be better spent elsewhere, like spiffing up my promotional materials. I was showing my hubby one of my book brochures compared to that of another author which I picked up at Glen Ellyn Bookfest a few weeks ago. Hers was on slick paper, not just plain bond, and the graphics were more professional looking rather than clip art and other images available on Microsoft Word. Also on the promotion front, I may have some personal appearances pending next year, and it may not be too early to outline a talk about my writing career. I've spoken in public a couple of times before and was on a panel discussion at Love Is Murder this year, but being the "star" will be somewhat different. On the up side, I'll be talking about a subject close to my heart.

Updates et al.

Working on "Treasure of Mongan Manor" this morning, still in the easy going stage before I hit the first "stuck place." Maybe I won't hit one this time around. The book has so many elements in it--psychics, geniuses, ghosts, treasure, greed, inheritance, puzzles, genealogy. I noticed a certain Gothic edge to it as well, which doesn't surprise me under the circumstances, mainly due to the setting in an old manor house.

I think my antagonist candidates are pretty solid now, each having a motive to justify their actions. I might even have decided on the murder victim. There are a couple more characters to introduce that will muddy the waters somewhat and provide more information, but Stefanie's husband is about to join in the "fun." (In quotes because fun for me to write generally means not much fun for my characters.)

Yesterday, I did some more thinking about a book trailer, focusing on "Dabblers." I wrote out a script, as suggested by the article I hit on, and then viewed some examples on YouTube. I think many of them were professionally produced, which makes me fear creating something that is instantly recognizable as the work of an amateur. Then again, one of the book trailers I saw at the Glen Ellyn BookFest a few weeks ago looked as though it could have been produced by the techniques I thought I would use. Well, there's one way to find out how well I can do the job. I am considering doing more of Stefanie's "sleep drawings" like the ones I made for the book's cover, and those would work well in the first part of the trailer, although I'll still need some other images as well. I can try putting something together and then try it out on some friends for their opinion.

Also, while writing this morning, Microsoft Word presented a new Gotcha. I typed the following sentence:

I stared after her, unsettled, wary, and wishing I was better equipped to figure it all out.

Word flagged "was" with a green underscore indicating a grammar error. I right clicked on it and took the suggested replacement of "were." After the change had been made, Word put the green underscore on "were" and suggested replacing it with "was." This is one of those grammar rules I struggle with because "I was" seems intuitively more correct than "I were," so I did some research. I found my answer on this web page. Quick and Dirty Tips. The answer is "were," and the reasons given are quite interesting.

My own quick and dirty tip for the day? Be leery of spelling and grammar checking by a computer program.

Spreading My Name All Over

This morning, I delivered paperback editions of "The Dreamer Gambit" to the Barrington Area Library and the Elk Grove Village Public Library, as well as one "Two Faces, Two Faced" to Barrington. Elk Grove Village has stated they will BUY copies of all my other books for their collection. Now that I have seven books published, the idea of donating a copy to libraries in the name of creating a following is a good idea. When I only had one book, it seemed like giving away the store. Elk Grove Village will put a special sticker on the bound end to let people know I'm a local author. Itasca Public Library where I dropped off a copy of "Dreamer" last week, wants me to do some speaking appearances next spring and fall. I may get free advertising on any or all of their websites and newsletters, perhaps even something on their bulletin boards. Books given away could be money well spent!

I found a website which gave tips on how to create a book trailer and what to do with it when you have it. I discovered I have all the tools I need already on my computer, so I'm going to give it a whirl. Once I create it, I'll see how it plays. If it works well, it could become an attention getter for future book fair appearances.

Now I'm eager to get back into "Mongan Manor" for a bit this afternoon.

Uncertain Ground

Starting on a positive note, I delivered a copy of "The Dreamer Gambit" to the Itasca Community Library near me and talked about the possibility of doing some appearances there, possibly two. If it all comes together, this will be a great chance to reach out to the public and maybe gain some readers.

Now, that uncertain ground. In "Mongan Manor," Stefanie is getting her first look at the family portrait gallery which will be crucial to solving the secret puzzle. I've already prepared the reader with the knowledge that the paintings do not cover the entire family, but this idea of presenting various players in the action all at the same time. Most of them are deceased anyway. I know I can't focus only on the ones with key roles in past goings on, because that could give it all away. And I don't feel purposely tossing out red herrings is fair to the reader. Whatever gets presented should have some meaning overall. Thus far, I'm interspersing descriptions and possible clues with Stefanie's observations and reactions. We'll see how it turns out.

The other issue is the character of Stefanie. She's an unusual character with her strange allotment of traits. Her psychic abilities, her eidetic memory, and her skills at solving visual puzzles make her feel estranged from nearly everyone. Her ongoing struggle is to accept herself as she is, but while working on that, she is a self-exiled outsider. The problem is that I find it so easy to get into her head. No, I am not psychic, and I'm lucky if I can remember what I had for breakfast much less everything I've ever experienced like Stefanie does. I'm fairly good at puzzles, true, and have a limited artistic ability, but that hardly seems enough for me to be able to step so smoothly into her shoes. Does this mean I'm as weird as she is? I suppose my imagination has always made me feel apart from other people, too, and perhaps that explains it. I can only hope that her behavior in the novels is relatable enough for readers, that they understand her mood changes and thought processes and empathize with her.

Packaging

Another library I contacted replied that they would like to receive one of my books and perhaps arrange a personal appearance. While I've done a little public speaking in the past, this would be the first time for me to be the "star." I'll probably have some time to put together a talk of some sort, but it will be an adventure. So that's three down and three to go of the places I sent letters to.

On another promotional front, I've been thinking about spiffing up my brochure for a glossy, more professional look. I had the idea of finding a photo of an old fashioned typewriter keyboard and changing the keys to spell out a brochure title and my name. I still need to explore printing options to get a good finished product. Also considering a poster of some kind to display at personal appearances. Maybe even a book trailer?

Working on "Treasure of Mongan Manor" again and making pretty good progress. Still trying to decide who will be murdered and why. I think there has to be a murder in order to kick the stakes up, provide some real danger and suspense. Of course, there must also be some development of Stefanie, either her power or her personality. Character growth is something I always look for in a series or even just one book, because the conflict the character finds him/herself in must require change of some kind. That's growth. Somehow, the old-style mysteries, where the sleuth was just the gatherer of information without any hint of having a personal life, never really appealed to me that much. While I do love the puzzle aspect of the story, I want the whole package, either as a reader or a writer.

The Promo Engine, etc.

Last week, I sent letters and book brochures to six libraries near me, offering them a choice of a free book as well as my willingness to join in book fairs or meet with book clubs. I received one very nice response expressing interest in my offer of a free book (they actually asked about two of them). The other response I received yesterday mystified me a little. It came in an email saying only the library would not be able to add my titles at this time and thanking me for the information. They didn't want a freebie? It makes me wonder if that person actually read the letter. The email said nothing at all about author events, etc.

After my online efforts at promotion yesterday, i.e., joining or updating various websites, I got a spike in visits to my blog. I can only assume it's related. I'll keep exploring. I'm also giving more thought to offering editing services on Authors Den. For a fee, I'd read the first 20 or so pages. The fees might change according to how much the writer wants me to do. Grammar, spelling, punctuation would be the first level. Then structure and style. Then maybe a critique of how well the book opens. Need to work out the particulars of the plan, such as how works are sent and payment received.

And "Where Power Lies" now begins with a prologue. I think the idea works well to acquaint the reader with the setting and also alleviates the need for my first-person POV character to convey that information. Now the year of the story is up front, along with a description of the events that gave birth to the changes in society. Gone is the longish "thinking" part which did not occur until Chapter 2. The result gives me that satisfied feeling you get when you've fixed something that needed repair with a quick nod and a dusting off of hands. Just hope I didn't introduce any new errors. (*sigh*)

Now, back to "Mongan Manor" and some tricky first encounters.

I Know I Shouldn't, But...

Had a great idea for "Where Power Lies" over the weekend. In earlier posts, I wrestled with the issue of back story, how to present to the reader what my character already knows about the future world she lives in. The current manuscript contains a long passage of her thoughts as she travels to work one morning, but the soliloquy has always felt stilted and too much like what it is--info dump. Later on, another leading character recounts some of the same information as part of a speech.

Inspiration struck. I'll write a Prologue! It will be an excerpt from a speech which occurred ten years prior to the actual story. That later speech will echo it in an offbeat way. Dee's reflections on her way to work in the city will be greatly shortened with that long narrative eliminated, all the better to have her think about something more important! I'll get down to making that final (?) tweak later today, and then perhaps my muse will rest easier.

I also have more ideas about moving "Treasure of Mongan Manor" forward. I stopped at a point where Stefanie is about to meet more of the "players" in the mystery/puzzle, but I wasn't sure which characters to have her interact with or what the outcome would be. After being away from the story for a day or so, I realized the decision was actually easy and the result will move the plot along. That's what it's all about, after all.

This morning, I started pursuing some promotional leads as well. I'll put a link to the newest addition of websites I have information on on this page as well as all the others. That's what takes the most time--having every site link to all the others. Based on an email from Authors Den about how to make the most of my author page there, I did a bunch of updates on that site. There is also an article I kept in my favorites list about making book trailers. I may have skimmed it at first, but I'll take another look. The main question I  hope to answer is once you make a book trailer, where do you put it so people will see it?

Anybody out there care to comment on book trailers? Helpful? Never look at them? Hard to do? I'd love to get comments.

Miscelleny

Sent off six letters and brochures to local libraries yesterday, offering each a free book for their collection and to make appearances with book clubs or at fairs. We'll see how that works out. I'll be exploring more promotional ideas and I'm giving serious consideration to making a book trailer. I found some articles on how to do that, but I'm not sure exactly what to do with it when it's done. I suppose I could do what some authors at Glen Ellyn Bookfest did and bring a computer to display the trailer in their allotted space. When it comes to personal appearances, I see a need to step it up a bit and look more professional. Would that help sales? Dunno.

Waiting to hear from my publisher about print editions of "Dabblers" and "Game Faces" before I send in my query for "Where Power Lies." A few times, I've started to open the "Power" manuscript and then decided there was nothing more to be done to it. I'm sure there are things I would change if I really tried, but it really is time to move on.

"Mongan Manor" is progressing well. Still fumbling around with how to get back story told. I've settled for putting in references whenever I think of them with the intent of editing them down later. I certainly want the book to be readable by someone who has not read the previous two books, but I also don't want to annoy those who have by restating things they already know. This can certainly be done, I believe, and a good example is with the Tempe Brennan books by Kathy Reichs. I did not start with the very first one, yet I enjoyed several of the books without it. Some of the references to previous events tempted me into reading the books that covered them, so that's the effect I want to achieve with my series.

An interesting blog post from Brianna Lee McKenzie (a writer's journey) which I picked up on from Twitter. She writes of how she had never written erotica, never tried to do steamy, explicit sex scenes, and yet found actually doing it not all that difficult. Hmmm. Maybe someday, I'll give it a shot, too. Thanks, Brianna, for the inspiring post.

Progress!

This morning, I prepared mailings to some local libraries, offering the a free book as well as my availability for events. I'll be dropping those at the post office this afternoon, and then I'll see where it goes.

Making HUGH progress on "Treasure of Mongan Manor." I've decided this time to not worry about picky stuff like how long chapters are or where I provide bits of back story. My aim is to get the story down in words and get bogged down as little as possible.

I think the title is pretty solid now. Since there was an inheritance involved in "Seer, Tyro, Fiend," I wanted to do something different. Since my setting is a modern-day castle of sorts, a hidden treasure just fell right into place with it. Now I have a family gathering in a Gothic setting and they're all interested in finding the treasure. One member has hired Stefanie to use her puzzle-solving skills to find it first. Inventing the title manor house is proving to be a lot of fun, as is dropping clues for Stefanie. Since logical thinking is not one of her highest skills, she sometimes gets a little lost, especially when other people attempt to benefit from what she knows or says. That's when Paul comes to the rescue, applying his intellect to supply the pieces she is missing to figure out patterns. One of the characters in this one is a genius, like Paul, and it should be fun having them butt heads.

Something I will have to do soon is go back over my family tree and figure out dates of death for some of the ancestors. Those dates will relate back to specific and important events, and I have to make sure all the ages work out right as well.

Publicity, Etc.

Well, I had planned to be at the Joliet Public Library Author Fair on Saturday, October 12, but unfortunately had to withdraw in light of other personal matters. Because of that, and upon some reflection following the Glen Ellyn Bookfest, I've been taking another look at publicity. Part of my endeavors this morning was to get contact addresses for other local libraries. Then I created a letter to send them offering to donate one of my books as well as to make personal appearances. Since I have some paperbacks on hand after Bookfest, and some brochures, I'm going to do a mailing to the libraries in my area. If they like the free book, they might just want some of the others. You never know, and it's worth a shot.

The other thing I did this morning was complete the query letter for "Where Power Lies," which I am now calling finito. I could probably go on editing and tweaking the manuscript for ages, but what's the use in that? I received a comment on the subject on this blog which sort of pushed me over the edge. It is time to move on.

I also did just a wee bit of research on "Mongan Manor" for an upcoming scene. I need an Irish character to say something supremely Irish that gives him away, and it must be in a specific context. I believe I found it, and now I'm eager to get into writing the scene which is still, sadly, a ways down the road.

When Will It Ever Be Done?

Still tinkering with "Where Power Lies" and with each change, I ask myself if I should just call it done and move on. Then I'll come across something that really needs to be changed, if not an outright mistake, and I dig in again.

The urge to get back to "The Treasure of Mongan Manor" grows ever stronger. Thoughts of how to set up the mystery for Stefanie continually send up a siren song to open the document and do something. Then I think "Power" needing to be finished before I can put full attention on "Mongan Manor," and around it goes again.

While I had planned to go to Author Fest at the Joliet Public Library this Saturday, I've had to back out for personal priorities. Besides that, I'm giving my promotional strategy an overhaul. So far, only thinking about what to do and how to do it, but the idea that continues to reverberate from Glen Ellyn Bookfest is that all the other authors' displays had a more professional look as well as something to catch people's eyes. I realized that what I had out there was not set up to entice people from a distance; they had to be right up next to the table to see what was on it. In light of that, I also wound up speaking to more authors than to readers, which gives me pause. Time for a new approach.

The Blahs

Been a bit under the weather lately and just not in the mood to work on anything much. It happens sometimes.

Bookfest 2013 is over and done. I didn't sell a single book, although I saw other authors all around me selling theirs. I'm now doing some serious reflection on presentation for future events. Many people showed up with some sort of attention-getting gimmick--a video screen with a book trailer, special props, even food. Were those responsible for drawing interest? It may be a fact of life, but it's a little disconcerting that people coming to learn about and buy books are easily swayed by something other than the books. I had a representative selection from all three of my series, but I'm thinking maybe I should focus on just one at any event and choose a suitable attention-getter based on it. I have a couple of ideas about that.

I'd also love to hear from anyone with an opinion on what attracts people at book events.

On Many Fronts

Worked on brochures to hand out at upcoming library events, but I need more ink for my color printer to continue. Quandary: how many to print? I'd hate to run out, but then if I print too many, they'll be useless when I publish my next book. Saturday is BookFest 2013 in Glen Ellyn, Illinois, and I have lots of books ready to sell.

Found a few more tweaks to "Where Power Lies," and while looking for the place to put one of them, I found a big boo-boo from a previous edit. So I bit the bullet this morning and reset the document to let Microsoft Word do its grammar check. I did fix a few things in the process and came up with no other major errors. That doesn't mean there aren't any...

Cover art. Still debating on this. I've found a few resources for real artists who will create a cover for me, and I have an idea or two of what it should look like, something better than what I started to create on my own. If any readers out there do graphic arts (for low budget) or who know of someone, I'd love to hear from you.

Did some more writing on the new Windsong Lake book. A small action became a connection for the story, like seeing a puzzle coming together. I still have to figure out the mystery which needs to be solved. I'm at the point in the manuscript where that mystery will be introduced to Stefanie and set her on a course of action. To do that, I need to know what the mystery is first so the person who tells it to her provides just the right amount of information (or maybe some disinformation).

Feeling My Characters

Almost through the first chapter of the new Windsong Lake book, "Mongan Manor." I'm fairly sure the opening scene I was agonizing about yesterday will stay in because it has a purpose. It sets the location, the players, that there is conflict in Stefanie and Paul's relationship, and it provides background which might allow someone to read it before reading the other two. I always have trouble with scenes where my lovebirds are at odds. Go figure. Imaginary people and I still get emotionally involved. But conflict is the name of the game in fiction, because readers would get bored with a tale in which everything in hunky-dory all the time. Something needs to happen, and when some of the things that happen involve emotions everyone can relate to, the characters become someone to care about and root for.

I may go back and take another look at "Where Power Lies" tomorrow. It needs another reading, as I've mentioned, and hopefully I'll be able to do so with "fresh eyes."

My shipment of books arrived yesterday for Bookfest in about a week and a half. I have signs made up, and I've revised my book brochure. I'm holding off printing them up so they'll be as up to date as possible.

Another Pause

I've got "Where Power Lies" pretty much where I want it now, I think. I'm going to give it a rest for a few days and do another full read through to verify I've made the appropriate points. The length is pretty good, at just over 82,600 words. When I finally apply the "Done" stamp to it, I'll do a synopsis and blurb and consider sending my latest "child" into the world.

I'm very excited get back to the newest Windsong Lake book. It's been started, of course, but I've been trying to lean on "Power" to get it closer to finished before letting my muse take flight with Stefanie.

I also have to get ready for Bookfest 2013 in Glen Ellyn in less than two weeks. Last night, I made up three signs for the table, one for each book series. A price sign is also required, as well as an up-to-date brochure to hand out. As to pricing, I'm considering offering a discount for anyone buy more than one book, maybe buy one book for $9 or any two for $16. I still don't know exactly which books I'll have on hand to sell, so the pricing thing might have to wait till the last minute. I would love to go to Bookfest, or to Joliet Author Fest, with a full complement of my books to offer, but I'm not sure if that's going to work out for timing. Also getting down to the wire is whether or not I'll participate in the pitch session at Bookfest. The one I wrote is for "Dabblers," but if I don't have a paperback on hand to sell, it kind of misses the point. We shall see.

Back On It

Friday found me dealing with personal business and little time for anything else, but it looks like I'm going to be back in the saddle again.

Updates on "Where Power Lies" getting close to completion (I think). The word count has been drastically reduced, from over 84,000 to now 82,600 or so. More might get chopped before I'm done. I also keep thinking of little things to tweak here and there, but they are minor points, finishing touches. Then I need to do a synopsis, blurb, etc. Of course, since this is a new story line, I will have to go through the query and submission process with Write Words, never assuming publication is a done deal.

Also have to start leaning on materials for upcoming book events--signs, brochures, and so on. I have paperbacks on order for "Changeling," "Two Faces," and "Seer" but they have not arrived yet. Trying not to bite my nails. I need stuff to sell!

In A Slashing Mood

Taking another pass at "Where Power Lies" this morning, and I find myself doing a lot of cutting. Extraneous stuff mostly, tags, descriptions of inconsequential things. In the back of my mind, however, is a cautionary voice telling me that slashing stuff often leads to new errors. I might delete one more word than I intend, or take out the verb which makes the sentence a sentence. Maybe after this pass, I'll finally get to the read-through where I don't need to change anything and simply correct obvious errors.

I also made the decision to remove chapter titles. I've heard from readers that they don't really pay attention to them. I've left them in for the Jack Watson books and the Faces books, and having done so in those series, I will have to keep them for any future additions. I left them out of the Windsong Lake books, but I started using them in "Where Power Lies," mainly as a tool to find passages. The titles get marked for as level 1 of an outline and I can quickly navigate within my document to something I need to find. Since I took them out this morning, I guess I'll have to find my place some other way.

As I settled into bed last night, I had an alarming thought regarding the upcoming Glen Ellyn Bookfest. I've been preparing a 60-second pitch to give to attendees for "Dabblers," but what do I do if I don't have any paperbacks of it to sell? It's supposed to have gone to press, but I don't know if there'll be time to order any copies to take with me. I'm giving some thought to prepping a pitch for "Two Faces, Two Faced." Those are already on order, and I hope they're going to be delivered any day now.

Then again, the thought of standing up in front of people to give my pitch, of any book, makes me wonder if I should do it at all. It's not a requirement, and I can think of some practical reasons beyond my own stage fright to skip it. I guess I should be prepared with one or two pitches and make a decision at the last minute.

Joliet Author Fair and Updates

Received confirmation from the Joliet Public Library Black Road Branch for Author Fest in October. Here are some of the details:

Joliet Regional Author Fair

Saturday, October 12, 2013

11:00 AM to 3:00 PM

Joliet Public Library

Black Road Branch

3395 Black Road, Joliet, IL  60431

This was such a great event last year, and I'm really looking forward to meeting people and having the chance to sell books. 

Looks like more of my ebooks are soon to be in print format--Dabblers, Game Faces, and Stranger Faces. That will mean ALL of them are available in both formats! 

Now then, for book #8, "Where Power Lies": still making changes and catching repetitions as I go. I'm starting to feel more of an itch to get onto the next Windsong Lake book, but I'm trying to exercise some discipline here. "Power" still needs editing, and a synopsis, and a blurb, and a cover...

Miscellaneous Updates

My first review for Windy City Reviews was posted today, and I also received some comments from the author about what I had to say. It's very gratifying. The book was excellent, and I simply said so. I hope more writers request me to review their books in the future as I enjoyed doing this.

I believe paperback editions will soon be available for my three remaining books: "Game Faces," "Stranger Faces," and "Dabblers." I've already ordered copies to sell at two upcoming library events and hopefully I'll still have time to order some of the others. I really want to have a copy of "Dabblers" on hand for Bookfest in Glen Ellyn because I've written a 60-second pitch to present to library patrons. Gotta start rehearsing that.

Making more progress on "Where Power Lies." It's so easy to get sidetracked from hunting for repetition when I see other areas for improvement. For example, I figured out a way to subtly set the time of the story very early on, which soothed a touch of anxiety about waiting until Chapter 2 to do so. I also continue to notice tags which aren't really needed. As I keep changing things, I'm beginning to think I may have to rerun the word frequency counter program again at a later time. I haven't done much more on the cover art yet, but I think I've nailed down the concept to something I can execute. I may have to seek out some additional images to use, though, as what I already have isn't quite right yet.

For now, back to work . . .