Dear Faithful Readers,

I had previously stated that the fifth and final book of The Gamayun Prophecies would be released in November.  It’s now December, so you’re probably wondering what’s up.  I wanted to fill you in on why there is a delay.

While delays in publication are not uncommon, please know I do take them seriously.  As an avid reader myself, I know how frustrating they are.  No less than three times this year, a favorite author of mine was supposed to release the next book in a series only to have the publication date pushed back six months or more.  Each time they got an audible groan from me. It stinks; I get it.

So why the delay? Well, some of it is good.  First off, this book is much longer than the previous ones.  I considered splitting it into two books, but they would have been a little bit shorter than normal.  In the end, it seemed fairer to only make you pay for one really long book than for two slim novels.  The book is already longer than all the previous books, and it’s only about two-thirds written. I knew it would be longer, which is why I allotted a bit more time for myself to finish this one that previous books.

However, even with a couple extra months, you will note it is still not finished.  That brings us to the bad news part of the delay.  I have a genetic disorder that affects the joints and muscles of my body.  Without getting into the medical mumbo jumbo, the way it plays out is I often have migraines.  I can go a few months with just one here or there, but then I can get in a cycle where I will have one every day for six months.  On top of this, I have been experiencing some new symptoms where I have been having frequent nerve pain in my legs and arms, made worse by sitting long periods of time or repetitive motion (i.e. typing). As this genetic disorder has no cure, and very few treatments that even help the symptoms, often when I am having trouble I simply have to wait it out and rest. Eventually my body will calm down some and I can write again.  After I finished writing Flight of Hope in June, I made a good start on Song of Redemption. However, I was hit with a cycle of migraines in the beginning of August that still hasn’t let up. The nerve pain started in October.  I am still waiting for my body to cooperate with me.

A little more good news: when I feel good, I write like a speed demon.  While the original plan was to get all five novels of the series published in one calendar year, I still managed to publish four novels in one year.  Generally that only happens with formulaic books like the Babysitters’ Club, but I tried to provide you with original books with well drawn characters and surprises around every corner. That was because for the first four books I had a lot of days I felt good.

While I hope you understand now why there is a delay, I imagine you would still like a new release date.  I would very much like to give you one.  However, if I’m being honest with you, I can’t.  I can guess at one, but I don’t want to get your hopes up only to be wrong again. Please know I am 100% dedicated to finishing Galine and Sasha’s story and finishing it well.  However, I just don’t know how long it will take for my body to sort itself out. What I can promise is to update you on how the process is going.

As I stated before, I have written about two thirds of it at this point. I will post another update when I have finished writing it.  At that point I will have to take about another month for editing.  Then I send it to my editor and cover designer, and I have to do formatting for publication.  That usually takes about another six weeks.

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Lara S. Chase