WiP Wednesday: A Seagull and a Butterfly

It's Wednesday! I haven't done a Work-in-Progress update for awhile, so here's the scoop.

I'm working on two books simultaneously. This isn't ideal, probably because my regular life mothering five kids requires so much multitasking, it's hard to also do that in my writing life and stay sane. But, I'm doing it anyway. Slowly, but surely. 

1) SEAGULL RISING: I'm still editing this one, polishing it for submission. At this point, my agent and I are down to "fine-tooth editing." With this edit I only have one plot point to adjust, which is an improvement over the last round of edits where I rewrote most of the ending. (But it's a much better ending!)

I'm honestly wondering if most writers cause their agent this much trouble. I hope so, because if most people are turning in flawless manuscripts that go straight to submission, I'm going to feel terrible. But I'm thankful to my awesome agent, Emmanuelle, for taking the time to help me get my book as perfect as possible.

And I have a feeling this is good practice for when I do get published *someday.* I'll be that much better at this editorial-feedback back-and-forth thing.

2) RED BUTTERFLY: This is my new novel, set completely in China. Wow, this one has been hard to write because its subject is so emotionally charged. I'm close to finishing my second rewrite and getting it out to a first-round of critique partners. 

Now that I'm almost done with this draft, I'm in love. I liked it okay after the first draft ... I mean, I loved the idea, but I wasn't in love with my execution. But after this rewrite, I can honestly say I've fallen for the characters--all of them, even the male lead who was making me pull my hair out at first. And maybe, just maybe, I'm getting better at plotting? I guess that remains to be seen....

So, I'm dying to hear how your WiPs are going. Even if it's not related to writing, what are you working on right now?

And if you don't feel like answering that question, maybe tell me why you think I've named both my books after animals that fly? I really have no idea, but I'd like to hear your opinion. (There might be a deeply psychological reason.)