"The New Americans" - Third Draft Completed!

Those of you who have been reading this blog and following me on social media will have heard about "The New Americans." This is the novel I've been working on for the past eighteen months, based on an outline that my father recorded on a series of cassette tapes just before his death in 1992.

"The New Americans" chronicles the lives of three Sicilian brothers who are forced by circumstance to flee their homeland and emigrate to America in 1915.  There, they find themselves embroiled in everything from World War I to the early years of Prohibition as they struggle to find their place in an impossibly alien land.

It's a long, complex novel and I'm very proud of it.  If you'd like to know more, I suggest you check out our podcast "Legacy: A Novel Writing Experience." 

Anyway, yesterday I completed the third draft, which means the book is now ready to go to my First Read.  What's a First Read, you ask?  Well, basically my First Read is the first person to read the work other than me.  It's a critically important job.  It can be anyone, from a friend, to a fellow author, to a loved one - as long as it's someone who will be honest.  You see, the First Read's task is to edit for content, and to be effective, this must be done objectively and, yes, ruthlessly.

My first read is my wife, Helene Boettcher Drago, and it's a job that she takes very seriously.  While I admit her comments can sometimes rattle me a bit, there's no denying that, every time I incorporate her suggestions, the book shines all the brighter for it.  She's the best editor I've ever had and I couldn't be more grateful.  I love you, sweetheart!

Once she's done her bit, I'll polish "The New Americans" a fourth time, and then likely a fifth, before it'll be ready to submit to agents and publishers.  So, it'll be a while yet before you see it on your bookstore's shelf.  Writing a novel is a long process, and patience is key - not always easy, but definitely key.

I'll keep you all posted!