So February has been a no-words kind of month for Deceit, with no progress on the draft. Still there at 163,500 words in total, still feeling good, but that’s about it. Why? Well, it’s been an editing month for book 3 in the series, Diaspora, ever since the final changes to book 2, Death, turned out to be minor. On top of that I felt like I needed time to settle the upcoming changes in the plot-line before I ploughed on, Sometimes, as they say, no progress is real progress.

So who’s the lady in the graphic this month?

This, fair readers, is Elyse Crosbie (or at least as close as Getty Images can get to my imagination), one of the main characters that appears in Death, Diaspora, and Deceit. Richard’s older twin sister (only by 10 minutes but that doesn’t stop her pulling rank now and then) she’s one of the more fun characters I’ve created. There’s much to be liked about her, much to be feared as well, and like some of us she really doesn’t quite know when to keep her mouth shut – particularly when handing out advice to her younger brother. A colourful background, absolute self-reliance, but an inward vulnerability she shields from the universe at large, you wouldn’t think she’s a key part of humanity’s last hope.

Unless, of course, you read the books.