"The Scorching" is finished, more or less. If it was sent off the way it is, it would be more than fine. I'm going to set this version aside for a final polishing.

I also want to finish reading "Fire Line" over the next couple of days, more as background knowledge than anything else at this point. It's a very well written book; I even emailed the author (Michael Thoele, a U of O professor) to tell him so, which I've never done before.

I have Bren going over the first three chapters, since she tends to tighten my writing up, and I'm going to try to get input from writer's group. I'll see if Lara can do a quick edit. I will go ahead and send those chapters off later in the month to some agents. I don't expect anything, and I'm not going to let myself get tied up, but it's worth a try.

I'm still a little surprised that no one else has written a pyro-terror book. I wish there was a way to publicize it properly. Pyro-terror really is a possibility in the near future. Terrorism and wildfires are going to be in the news, for sure.

I did what I set out to do. I think my overall trend is toward incremental improvement with each new book. I certainly learn something each time.