Heaven Park, the work previously known as the Disaster in Progress that was my endeavor for over four years, is not happening.
Although the book was signed on with a publisher back in September 2020, long delays on their side had already put a huge strain on my relationship with the editor. Earlier this year the book was finally slotted for publication in September 2023--three years after acquisition, which is both unprecedented and untenable. The editor's insistence on making sizeable cuts nearly two years in was the last straw. So I'm walking out.
I do not make this decision lightly. Canceling this contract means delaying my next book even more, whichever it is, and it puts me in a terrible position financially. While teenage me is proud I stood up for the integrity of my work, adult me is about to jump out of a fucking window.
But Heaven Park is personal. Its real counterpart, the place the novel is based on, has become my perfect vacation spot much faster than Los Angeles is becoming a nice place to live in. Heaven is square one, but it's a very comfortable square one. Crawling back to die in it is not that bad a deal.
What I regret most is not being able to share it with you guys yet. But I will. It belongs to Heavenparkers already.
More images at @heaven_park_snaps