Actually, besides getting ready for teaching in the fall, I'll be working on a synopsis of the book for my queries to agents. This I think will be harder to do than writing the first two drafts. I've been scanning the blog sites on the subject and there seems to be a wide range of opinions on what works and what doesn't when approaching a potential agent. The internet is swamped with ideas. At some point I'm going to have to pick one and just go with it.
And just as importantly, I need to make sure my opening chapter is right. After all my research on William's life it seemed only appropriate to start off with a snippet of what it was like for him before he was summoned back to live in America after thirteen years abroad. I start the story in England.
And given what I learned from the court testimony that dragged all of the family's skeletons out of the closet and into the open when his sister sued him years later, their departure from England was not too smooth. I'll give you a hint: Dr. Thomas Durant was not only a scoundrel in his business dealings, but also in the way he treated his family.
You'll learn more about it when the book comes out, hopefully sometime next year.