Wrapping Up Third and Long: Editing, Continuity, and Crafting the Keegan We Know Today

 

Wrapping Up Third and Long: Editing, Continuity, and Crafting the Keegan We Know Today

Let me tell you something about editing: it’s a game of chicken between you and your manuscript. You sit there, coffee in hand (or whiskey, let’s not pretend we’re all virtuous here), daring the words to blink first. With Third and Long, I stared into the abyss of Detective John Keegan’s third retro outing and, let’s just say, the abyss gave me plenty to work with.

This book, more than any before it, is about becoming. It’s the story of a younger Keegan navigating the messy road to becoming the detective we know today. But here’s the catch: when you’re writing someone’s "origin story," you’re walking a tightrope. How do you make the rookie version of a beloved character feel fresh, while still leaving breadcrumbs for the readers who know his future?

Oh, and let’s not forget the continuity errors. Those little gremlins lurk in every draft, waiting for the sharp-eyed reader to pounce.

Chasing Continuity and Wrangling Repetition

Here’s the thing about writing a series where timelines jump around: keeping track of what Keegan knew and when is like assembling IKEA furniture without instructions (or allen wrenches). Is Keegan sarcastic and introspective in 2000? Sure. But he’s not quite the wry, world-weary detective from Soft Case. I had to dial it back, subtly shaping a version of him still learning to navigate authority, failure, and his own self-doubt.

One glaring challenge was ensuring the timeline of Third and Long—set in 2000—didn’t clash with the prologue, firmly planted in the present day. I added context to anchor each era, like Keegan reminiscing about pre-dot-com bubble life or marveling at the clunky technology of the time. A few tweaks (and some choice words at my own oversights), and the timeline held together like a well-built alibi.

And then there’s repetition. Oh, how Keegan loves to dwell on his failures. He brings up his old cases (looking at you, Lavelle) like they’re bad first dates he can’t stop analyzing. Necessary? Yes. But in early drafts, it was like a broken record. By the fourth read-through, I was practically yelling at him: “Okay, John, we get it—you screwed up! But can we move on, please?” The final version trims those repetitive reflections, tying them directly to the Reeves case so they feel less like wallowing and more like the groundwork for growth.

The Breadcrumbs You’ll Crave in Fourth Gear

One of the joys of writing Third and Long was planting little seeds that’ll bloom in Fourth Gear. Without spoiling too much, let’s just say you’ll see hints of Keegan’s budding expertise in digital forensics—a skill that’ll be key in future cases. Characters like Matty Long push him to think critically about evidence, question his biases, and trust his instincts. Oh, and there's a white whale of Matty's that Keegan will take over the hunt for. Fourth Gear will center on that confrontation.

There’s also a certain someone Keegan meets here who might seem like a minor player. Let’s just say they’ve got a bigger role to play down the road. You’ll want to reread Third and Long when Fourth Gear comes out, just to catch the little moments you missed.

Preorder Third and Long Today

If you’re a fan of mystery, sarcasm, and watching a character grow into their full potential, Third and Long is for you. It’s a case that challenges Keegan in ways that prepare him for the career-defining moments to come. Plus, it’s got enough twists and turns to keep you guessing until the very last page.

Preorder your copy now: Third and Long on Amazon

Trust me, you’ll want to be caught up before Fourth Gear hits the shelves. Until then, keep your detective hats on and your wits sharper than Keegan’s comebacks.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Revisiting Time Stand Still: Editing, Nostalgia, and Growth

  Revisiting Time Stand Still : Editing, Nostalgia, and Growth I love writing the Keegan series. It's my main work and it's fulfilling and my most productive area of writing. But, there's one book I wrote almost twenty years ago that has been a sort of favorite. While Keegan is more of my polar opposite, Darren Camponi from Time Stand Still  is a little more like me. And the story, going back in time and reliving younger days, has always intrigued me. But the book is flawed and needs some attention. Hence, the revisit. Time Stand Still is  a story outside my John Keegan series, yet one that oddly links back, as the main character, Darren Camponi, makes an appearance in To The Bone and joins Keegan’s ever-expanding world. And this year, I decided to do what Darren does in Time Stand Still, go back to my past and relive it. Only I can make changes that don't impact the present too much. I hope ;) It’s strange to open up something I two decades ago, seeing my own words fr...
Read more

Revisiting Soft Case: A Decade (and More) Later

Going Back to the Beginning Soft Case will always hold a special place in my mind and heart. It's my first (published) novel and I love it for all it represents, including how far I have come since. I usually do some small updates every two years to my books but Soft Case has long needed more than that. And I guess I avoided it because it was a huge endeavor. Now, it's done. It was quite an experience. When I first wrote   Soft Case , I was a first-time author with big dreams, a decent amount of self-doubt, and, let’s face it, very little leverage. My goal back then was simple: get published. It’s a goal many writers share, and one that can overshadow other creative aspirations. The publisher and editor had their ideas about what the book should be—ideas I didn’t always agree with but wasn’t equipped to challenge at the time. Let’s just say I didn’t yet have the gravitas (or courage) to tell the editor “no.” In hindsight, some of those compromises gnawed at me over the years. T...
Read more

Beating Writer's Block

  Is Writer's Block Real? There's long been a debate about writer's block. Maybe there's no scientific evidence for it but more than enough writers suffer from periods of staring at a blank screen. No one seems to know exactly what causes it because it's different for everyone. Well, maybe not no one  but there isn't much agreement either. It can go on for a few days or a few weeks, even months. Much like an athlete can hit a slump or lose their ability one day, a writer can just blank. This can come from overtaxing your mind or by not following a regular schedule. So, be mindful of those. Take breaks (writer's block rarely comes after rest) and make a sdchedule and stick to it. There are as many solutions to this as there are for hiccups. Below are some strategies that work for me. And to provide context, I've gone from struggling to finish a novel for months to writing eight books in the last twelve months. Even during that time, I battled with cogniti...
Read more