If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you might know that I actually finished the first draft of Leslie Kim Serials #102 back in November of 2017. I did 3 rounds of editing but I still wasn’t happy with it. In 2018, I worked for a publisher for a year and I found it difficult to find time to write, so I put it off again. I edited the first few chapters in October of 2019. And I didn’t look at the manuscript again until June of 2020.
Smack dab in the middle of the pandemic, I decided I should finish what I started. When I started reading through the manuscript this time, it was quick because the manuscript was already pretty clean. But I noticed a glaring coincidence.
The plot in #102 includes a mystery substance working it’s way through the population. Now, it’s different from the coronavirus because it’s not a virus. It’s a corrosive substance that spreads from direct contact with other people that have touched it. Ground zero is the monster, the Grootslang, featured in #101. It’s a topical problem that essentially melts skin and not an internal virus that travels through coughs and sneezes.
I hesitated to publish the book because of this. I didn’t want the similarities to make it seem like I’m trying to profit off of the horrible pandemic that we are all living through. But I’m hoping that the differences will shine through and the overall story will still be accepted by readers.
To all those who have lost loved ones to the coronavirus, I’m deeply sorry.
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