Manuscript finally sent to the publisher on September 25, 2025

The beauty of the Cévennes in the early morning!

In July, I formed a reading committee of seven people of varying ages. I received numerous suggestions for improving the novel, enriching the dialogue, and making stylistic and spelling corrections. A writer absolutely needs outside input. I also put the novel through the mill of artificial intelligence, while ensuring I had mastered the ideas I wanted to retain. This entire process culminated this week with a final meeting on Monday to finalize the manuscript. Today, September 25th, after final readings, I was finally able to submit it to the publisher, whose name I will not reveal until there is an agreement in principle.

I would like the novel to be published in November so that it can be in bookstores in December.

Join me, blog readers, in the inner workings of the publisher and author to "cook up" a novel to your liking:

This novel requires an agreement between the publisher and the author on all the following "ingredients":

A cover illustration proposal

A broken life transformed

Paul Praxis

A second page containing intellectual property notices and explanatory messages about the literary work, as well as requests for authorizations requested and obtained

A third page contains quotes and an explanation for the reader of the meaning of the asterisk (*) that they will encounter throughout the novel and which refers to the glossary at the end of the volume.

A foreword describing my motivations on pages 4 and 5.

A table of contents on pages 5 and 6.

Personal photographs: a few photos taken in Luxembourg by a friend, plus others copyright-free and photographs in the Cévennes region taken by my wife or me and watermarked. The Musée du Désert offered to provide the publisher with digital photos illustrating the museum visit in the novel.

The text of the novel itself and the chosen subtitles, which will give rise to numerous discussions, not to mention the content and ideas expressed by the author.

At the end of the volume, there is an acknowledgments page, a glossary (terms listed in alphabetical order), and a proposal for the back cover on page 167.