So What's New with v.2 of "Labors"?

       Two things are new: 1) It's going to take me awhile to get it ready for publication; and 2) I'm changing the title again!

       First, the title:  As you may recall, I took my original v.2, which was entitled "The Tale of the Valley of Thorns," and divided it into two volumes because it was really too long for one, and since it's episodic, it could be divided easily.  Volume 3 was intended to keep the original title, and that's still true.  But v.2 was going to be "The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head: Volume Two: The Adventures of Ki'shto'ba Monster Slayer."  That fits well because in the story, Ki'shto'ba slays four monsters and wounds a fifth, and for its heroics, it is endowed with a new surname, No'dai Oin'zei, or Monster Slayer.
       However, the "Adventures" title had two things against it: It was awfully long, especially since I'm using the volume titles as subtitles; and it repeats the word "Ki'shto'ba," which gives it a redundant feeling.
       So I've decided to call it "The Labors of Ki'shto'ba Huge-Head: Volume Two: The Storm-Wing."  Ah, a little  intriguing mystery!  What is a "Storm-Wing"?  It happens to be the monster that Ki'shto'ba wounds but doesn't kill.  It becomes an ominous force throughout the volume, and indeed throughout the entire remainder of the series, so I think the title is quite appropriate and catchy!

       Now, what do I have to do to get the book ready for publication?  I think the most important thing is to allow time for v.1 to be read a little more widely, so I don't mind delaying.  Then, because of splitting the second volume into two parts, I have to rewrite the Translator's Preface (some of which pertains only to material in v.3).  I have to construct a List of Characters.  Then I have to be sure the end works and probably go into v.3 and make sure its beginning works.  I'm in the process of doing some rough formatting on the text and reading through and revising it a bit.  That part is fun.
       Then I have to make a front cover drawing.  I have a drawing, showing that same Storm-Wing (that's appropriate) that I can adapt, but it will take some work.  I have not drawn as many pictures for v.2 as for v.l, so I'll have to  work up an entirely new back cover, probably using a blurb this time.     
       Finally, I have to adapt the map.  I have a map that covers the entire Quest, so I have to chop off the upper part of that and work it up in black and white and make it the right size.  That will take some work, too.

       In the meantime, I encourage everybody to obtain a copy of "The War of the Stolen Mother" and introduce yourself to the termite world.  Believe me, you'll be very glad you did!

       For Kindle and paperback, all my books are at Amazon.
       For all other e-readers and for sample downloads, all my books are at Smashwords.
       For Nook and paperback, my books are also at Barnes & Noble.  "The Termite Queen" doesn't appear there for Nook, because of the insoluble NCX problem.  If you want TQ for Nook, go directly to Smashwords.

       And watch for Illustration No.5, appearing soon on this blog!