Is this what sending a kid off to college feels like?

Well... Flames of the Citadel went off to the pro-editor on Thanksgiving. As I was exporting the file from Scrivener I shed a single tear. Not really, but you get the idea.

Mostly, I'm nervous to have my work put to the scrutiny of a real editor. Don't get me wrong, I have already had some amazing people take a look at it, but this feels different.

I slapped the manuscript on the back, told it to make lots of friends, and then I whispered don't drink too much. Then I sent it off. 

On a serious note, I have become more invested with the characters I created than I ever thought I would. As I started putting words down on the first chapter, it was like I was meeting a new person. By the time I finished the last chapter, six months had passed. Those damn characters may as well have had social security numbers. They were real to me.

Now that I have had several other people reading it, I'm learning that my view of the character is a little different from what other people are gathering. Not in a bad way, but I noticed it none the less.

Long story short - Flames of the Citadel is nearly complete. Huzzah!