The Second Camino

Things are moving along nicely with The Two Caminos. The manuscript is currently under copy edit and some time in the next few weeks I will get feedback. That will leave me a month or so to get any changes done and start the publishing cycle. I still have some trepidation about that whole process, but this is what it is all about, so onward we go.

Mary Lou and I leave San Diego on the 10 May for a brief stop in Toronto, before heading to London to see Jenny and Jeff on the 16 May. We will make our way to St Jean Pied de Port before starting our second Camino on the 25th. If the stars align we will visit Bruno, a friend from our first Camino, at his home in his Basqueland. Coincidentally, he is leaving on his third Camino on the 20th.

Our journey this time will be quite different. We will take seven weeks instead of five, walk every kilometer, and intend on continuing to Finestere after Santiago de Compostella. Jeff and Jenny will meet us in Santiago on the 4 July to walk the last 115 km with us. How great is that to have your son and daughter in law share the experience. We will stay in some of the same towns, but most of our stopovers will be in lesser known communities. Neither of us expects the same spiritual experience, nor that we will assemble a Camino family, as we will be the slow boats on the trail, and "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river, and he is not the same man." This trip will be all about history, and seeing those things we missed the first time around. The research for The Two Camnos has given me a new appreciation of this walk, and the importance of it's past in just who we are.

We will create a new Facebook page, document the key historical and cultural elements of the walk and maybe even interviews with some of the characters we meet. We are are doing our best to get technologically hip.... daily podcasts youtube clips, instagram, etc, so you can experience the journey as we go.  I don't believe there is a second book on the Camino in in the the cards , but you never know. I have already started working on another idea for a fictional story about what was to be my second career. Stay tuned.

Final Draft Complete

An update has been a long time coming. I have finished the final draft of The Two Caminos, and it has gone to my editor for a complete copy review. I am happy with the book after some eleven edits, pairing it down to 86, 000 words. After some touch ups from the copy edit, it will go through a publishing process, and I am interested in seeing how it all ends up.

Mary Lou and I head back to walk the Camino again this May. My son and daughter in law will join us in Sarria for the last 115 kilometres. Can't wait.

Book Update

Thanks all for the queries on how the book is coming. I have finished my last series of edits and today the manuscript went to my editor for a full review. Sometime in May I will get a report back which will let me know where it stands.

Thirty Four Days

A picture a day.

Walking in Estrella

Now that I have some time on my hands, I will post a few pics and videos of the trip. This one is from Estrella, seven days into our walk.

Under Review

Yesterday I finished the fourth edit, cutting the manuscript down to 103,499 words and 295 pages. The editor says it should be in the 80,000 range, but I can't see doing that without leaving some key parts out.

I have put the document down for a few weeks while my writer friends review it. I highly value their opinions, and it will be nice to have some thoughts from the two of them.

In the meantime, here is a short clip of the summit before you head downhill towards Ponferrada. Our group took a few injuries on this leg.

Things Are Starting to Move Along

After spinning my wheels for a while, the past two weeks have been ones of great progress. The second draft is now complete, with all the missing pieces filled in. I have asked two good friends, both of whom are writers, to read the draft and provide me feedback in whatever way suits. They both accepted enthusiastically, and I will be sending them the document next week. I look forward to their input, they tell it the way they see it, which is why I asked them in the first place. I learned on the Camino that " to give, you have to be willing to receive." That is still not easy for me to do.

Had a conversation with a cousin of Mary Lou, who has published two books, with the best advice being " there is no hurry to publish." It was most helpful, giving me pause as to my original plan. After a bit of back track, I decided to focus on finishing the manuscript, and then worry about the editor and publishing. Then the universe kicked in, and on the weekend I attended The Word on the Street festival, sitting in on a presentation on how to get published in Canada. The advice was invaluable, and I connected with a number of individuals, groups and companies that will end up saving me a month or more of legwork. 

So, this is going to happen, though I am not sure if it will be out before or after Christmas. Before would be nice.

The Morning View From Orisson