I’ve heard from various sources that once a novel is written, it should not be revisited or revised.  The best idea, some advise, is to simply move on, always focused on the next project.  The fear is that the writer might become captive to an endless cycle of writing, editing, and rewriting, with nothing ever getting published.  That is good advice, as far as it goes.

The problem I have is that since I wrote Any Tomorrow (first a trilogy, then a compilation) is that I have written a number of novels and short stories since then that exist in the same universe as, and build upon, my original novel.  Furthermore, since I first wrote Any Tomorrow, my understanding of both my fictional universe, and the physics of the real universe, has grown tremendously.

As the universe I created has grown, so have the problems in continuity between Any Tomorrow everything I’ve written subsequently.  For that reason, although I didn’t really understand why at the time, I unpublished all versions of my novel from all sources.  Implementing the “nuclear option” wasn’t my first choice, but I felt that I had to fall back and regroup, to see everything I’ve written as parts of the whole, tales interwoven with multiple story lines and universes, but associated by a common referential thread.  The idea is to provide the reader with a certain feeling of familiarity before letting them race into something totally new and terrifying.

So that’s where I am.  My old friends from Any Tomorrow are being reborn to be indelibly linked to a variety of novels and short stories yet to be released.  Until that happens, you can watch for updates in this space, reach me by leaving a comment, or email me at kevin.fraleigh@anytomorrow.com.

©2020 Kevin Fraleigh