I thought – I was certain in fact – that I would be able to publish in time for the holidays. Alas, it appears it will not be the case. True, there is still a very small chance it will happen, that I may complete all revisions in time to publish online before the year ends. But I will definitely not have the printed version ready this year. This saddens me tremendously, and disappoints me – I disappoint me and I start to doubt my ability to bring this journey to its desired conclusion. But then, I remind myself that writing is not how I earn my living, and that I cannot forego my obligations to myself and to my family in order to realize my dream of publishing my first novel.

I record all this so that if another aspiring author should read my blog, he or she might better understand the challenges of bringing such a dream to fruition; it is rarely an easy thing to do, and it is even possible that, as is happening to me, the finishing touches may take as long – if not longer – to complete as the first writing of entire chapters.