"When it's ready" or "when it's done" is always one of the most frustrating things to be told. As a kid, when there's something you want, something you love, you don't want to wait, you want it now. And as adults, with better impulse control, we're used to telling ourselves, okay, fine, I'll wait, but at least give me some idea of when it will be, so I can plan accordingly.

As a fan, I've always tried to practice patience, to cultivate a zen-like or stoic-like attitude to these things. Waiting is hard but it's a virtue. Sure, the Gom Jabbar tests a person's ability to withstand pain first and foremost but it's ultimately about having the wisdom to wait things out. Time has a way of putting all things in perspective, including our sense of its passing. 16 years passed between the end of the original trilogy and the sequel, for instance, but it felt like a geological era for kids who grew up in the 80s. As you get older, you realise how short even 16 years can be.

Similarly, I came to Game of Thrones shortly before the tv show started in 2011 so had the pleasure of ploughing through four massive books just as Dance of Dragons arrived. Which meant that the only book I've really had to wait for is Winds of Winter. 14 years now! Now, I don't like waiting any more than the next reader but I'll tell you one thing: there's nothing like writing your own multi-POV epic fantasy series to gain some measure of sympathy for GRRM's predicament. He's a master of the genre and, if you think waiting for the next book is hard, hey, try writing it.

CITY OF RAIN first hit figurative shelves in November 2023 and I had hoped to get THE BRIGHT VALE out within two years of that. As I wrote in my last post in January, the writing is going strong but I'm always terribly optimistic with my estimates and, on reflection, I think it's unfair to maintain anyone's expectations that it will actually be out this year. I mean, it might be, if everything goes unusually well, but I don't think that's very likely. (Case in point, I actually finished writing CITY OF RAIN in July 2022 and it took nearly a year and a half to edit. I don't expect TBV to take nearly so long but there's an inevitable delay in going through proofs, rewrites, copy-editing, cover design, typesetting and all the rest). My current estimate for release is "sometime in 2026" but - as of this post - the official position is, and will remain "when it's ready". But, I promise you, the wait will be worth it...