NaNoWriMo was harder than I expected. My author, Nomi Tareen Smith, has 22,000 words of a historical fiction novel framed as a ‘memoir of the Republic’ set in the near future. The title is Tiānmìng, Mandate of Heaven. It chronicles the fall and rise of the United States of America. The novel structure is conventional but the presentation consists of materials from fictional transcripts, interviews and personal recollections of the participants with lead ins by Ms. Smith.

The novel’s major sections are Portents, Run Up for Protection, Run Up for Conquest, Crisis, War and Aftermath. The general synopsis is: Subordinates play roles on the world stage leading to a new order not yet revealed to them or us. These have to grapple with what obligations they have to themselves, to others (past, present and future) and to Heaven. Some will succeed and some will fail. The outcome is left to the reader to decide.

Ms. Smith will finish the novel by early January (we hope). My editorial staff will review and revise the novel with Ms. Smith’s consultation and consent. Then, we will publish to Amazon and Barnes and Noble directly using their tools.