This week, Jerry and Rich both show up looking like they’ve been dragged behind their own projects for a few miles. Rich is getting swarmed at the library now that school’s out and kids are pouring in for summer programs and free lunches, while Jerry is staring down the reality that Book 3 is no longer a revision job. It’s a full rebuild. So yes, this one has that fun “everything is under control if you don’t look too closely” energy from the jump.

Jerry talks through where he is with the Sam Norris series, including the fact that Book 3 has basically been blown up and rebuilt from the foundation. The core murder setup, victim, and some character pieces are still there, but the structure, location, and a lot of the moving parts are changing. Which means he has about five months and change to write, revise, edit, and publish a brand-new version of the book. No pressure. Just the kind of light, relaxing summer challenge every writer dreams about when they make a preorder live too early.

Rich, meanwhile, is deep in the weeds building AI writing agents to help him keep track of continuity, clue placement, character logic, and all the little details that try to sneak out the back door when you’re writing a mystery. He talks about the “co-author core,” the “continuity guardian,” the “puzzle keeper,” and how these tools are helping him revise The Dark We Hide one chapter at a time without turning the whole thing into bland machine mush. It’s actually one of the more interesting AI-for-writing conversations we’ve had, because this isn’t about having AI write the book. It’s about having AI act like the world’s most obsessive assistant editor.

There’s also a lot of real-life author stuff packed in here: Jerry juggling a big weekend work install, golf finally returning after a wet spring, plotting at Buffalo Wild Wings, and playing old sports games whenever his brain needs a break; Rich trying to edit while the library turns into a summer zoo and while he keeps tinkering with 3D-printed train storage like a man who absolutely does not need another hobby. So this episode lands in a very honest place: writing is messy, revising is harder than drafting, and sometimes progress looks a lot like tearing the whole thing apart and trusting yourself to build it better the second time.

Contact Us
Jerry Evanoff
Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠
Website: ⁠https://jerryevanoff.com⁠
⁠https://jerryevanoffauthor.substack.com/⁠

Rich Kacy
Email: ⁠[email protected]⁠
BlueSky: @RichKacy
⁠https://richkacy.substack.com/⁠

Tags
writing podcast
self-publishing
indie author
mystery writing
book rewriting
developmental editing
AI for writers
writing tools
author life
library life
plotting novels
sports sims
golf
The New Author Podcast