Sigh. Sometimes I wonder whether I'll ever finish this book. Or even it's worth finishing. It has so many plot holes it's becoming a black hole.

I did set myself the goal of finishing it by the end of September, but I wonder if I can achieve that.

So far all I've done is look at the plot holes.

I researched Irish history, and managed to plug a gap there. The original story has characters who can trace their lineage to the Tuatha de Danann, a race of magical people who were conquered when their magic failed. Good. I can use that.

I researched Irish magic. Do you know that it comes from the bardic tradition, and that spells were sung? It is interesting that I have used a sung prediction in my book, but now how am I going to fit it in.

Greer has to hate Marq and her sister. That was where the story started, after all, and they can't suddenly be all civilised and companionable.

Plus my treatment of the Veiled Village is soooo dubious and unbelievable. So I researched leper colonies. It makes sense that the HIV colonies of the future will be regarded with the same revulsion and fear as the people in the past regarded lepers. That veil they wear has to have a purpose other than marking them out as people to be avoided. Yes, avoided.

And that of course would give a much clearer reason to have an underground medical movement working with the HIV positives.

Also, the story has to go backwards. I can't just jump back to the start and work forwards. Possibly with Greer I can, but Marq needs a story that takes him back through all his troubled lovelives (is that a valid word in Scrabble, do you think?) to uncover the cause of the whole damned miserable saga.

And Tanis? She doesn't need much of a story, although the whole thing did start with her. so she does need some.

It's back to the beginning really. And I can't help thinking that I should enjoy writing it as much as I hope people will enjoy reading it, though at the moment everything is very tedious. A book to put down. Often.

Let's see if I can save it.