"Takeover" is finished. First draft, 84,000 words.

I'm giving it a month of rewrites, and then sending it off.

I think it's a good book. It's different than anything I've done. Reality based, if you will. That is, there are few fantastical and or whimsical elements.Yet the subject matter is expansive enough to be interesting in its own right. In fact, I believe it's probably over my head to some extent, deserves more than I can give it, but I'm the one writing it so I'm giving it my best.

Even the non-supernatural books I've written: "Scorched," "Snaked," "Deadfall Ridge," still have strong elements of genre. Disaster movie motifs, whimsical or humorous bits, Hollywood-y action. Not that there is anything wrong with that.

This book is a series of character sketches thrust into a real situation, and then trying hard to get honest reactions and consequences from that initial act. It's amped up from what happened at the Malheur bird refuge occupation; with a murder and a takeover by domestic terrorists added.

I'm sending this to a mainstream publisher, but if he doesn't take it, I'm thinking this might be the book to try and go out and get an agent with.

Or maybe not. I'm not sure I have the gumption.