I have become Revisionist, destroyer of continuity

For the past few weeks I've been editing the first two Citadel books, getting them ready for a second edition release. I'm exercising the author/publisher prerogative to change a few things as I go. That's going to irritate some purists, and I'm really, really sorry about that. But it's not like I'm changing the plot or anything, just a few tweaks to dialogue and exposition that really need to happen for things to make more sense. Relax about it.

I have an ulterior motive in this. I needed to refresh my memory, get my head back into the story, so I could write Book 3. I'm taking notes as I go during this edit, cramming Evernote with every relevant bit of info I might need later. I'm breaking down key character traits and plot points, and small details that might get overlooked if I'm not careful. I don't have a big enough following for my stuff to permeate Wikipedia yet, so I can't cheat.  Curse you all.

The edits—there's a part of me, the reader in me, that's screaming about that. I mean, sure, I say  relax about it, but the truth is some of those changes are significant. I'm tweaking little incongruous details that bugged me, and that had painted me into a corner. Subtle things, to be sure, but big enough in the grand play that if I left them as they were I'd have to write something really convoluted to make it all make sense. 

The reader in me hates it. The author in me knows it has to be done. Think of it like a kid going to dentist. Sure, the kid would rather be out playing with his favorite toys, but the dentist has to take care of that rotting tooth that could spoil all the fun. 

The good news in all this—Book 3 is on its way! It's been way too long, and I know that. And again, I'm really, really sorry about it. I had other books to write, and other stories to tell. But it's finally coming, and along with it, Books 1 & 2 will get a tiny tummy tuck to make them a little more fit.

If you've already read Citadel: First Colony and Citadel: Paths in Darkness, I probably owe you an apology, but what I'm going to give you is a huge debt of thanks. The feedback I got from many of you has helped me make some big decisions on the shape and direction of this story. So the edits I'm making are really for you. Thanks for pointing out the typos and flaws and plot holes and character goofs. In particular, my friend Athena pointed out a major  character goof in Book 2 that could have ruined everything. Thanks to her quick reading and ironclad memory, I was able to fix the goof before the book went to print, which is a really, really good argument for releasing to ebook first. 

This is a dicy game, self publishing. And I'm learning as I go. But you folks are making it all worthwhile, so thanks for that! And I'm going to do my best to make sure you have more books to read.  

Look for the second editions to release over the next month!