It’s not a cliché, but it is a maxim that is heavily abused (probably because it is true) in that “No Plan Survives Contact” – take a bow Karl Bernhard von Moltke. 

Our plan was to publish Valentines Day 2026.

We missed that.

To be fair, it was/and is better that we did.

Editing is emotive for any writer – cutting words so carefully chosen is akin to asking which child you want to sacrifice to ensure that the sun still shines and the crops continue to grow…

Okay, possibly not that hard – but hyperbole is the cornerstone of writing – so we will let that one ride.

Editing came, editing went, and editing was completed.

Next stage.

I’ve always had a cover in mind – the idea has remained a constant throughout all the plot changes, inserts, and deletions. 

I had an artist in mind, I’d seen their work on the WWW, and I was sold.

Labour costs, I was (am) happy to pay.

Art is the expression of emotion, and such a thing is forever susceptible to the whims and fancies of life – point accepted (no need to concede).

My timeline has always been flexible.

Flexible, but not open-ended.

Now I sit nine weeks into the book cover phase with no real decreeable progress made.

Tommorow was the promise, but that was weeks ago.

“Nearly there” is uttered but not delivered.

I am at a complete loss.

Have I been taken for a fool – or am I just drowning in paranoia of my own making?

I don’t have the funds for a relaunch, the are no coins to start this again.

I’d cry, but I don’t know how…

Keep that Serenity Prayer in mind as life moves forward.

Hug those you love – stay sane!