*sigh*
Almost seven years since I published this one and I finally see more clearly. It's not the story so much as the details. That first book was the foundation, and the excitement and rush of the first of a new series carried me away. I didn't know yet quite how the series would develop. I had my plan with the series arc and plot ideas for each episode, but the details and style had to develop, along with the characters.
Now, I'm cleaning it up in a way that I see more clearly after getting stuck on Book 23... again. It isn't really cleaning so much as completing what's there. Book 1, as I mentioned, feels to me clunky and rough, but this will smooth out those rough edges and help it flow more naturally. It'll also bring it more into the style of the rest of the series.
It shouldn't take long, but it will push the word count over the 40K novel minimum length. I'll be able to say that all the books are short novels. 😁 It's getting close already, and I'm not quit halfway through the second pass (if you count that binge read as the first pass) with lots of clarifying details added and removing odd thoughts that break the flow.
Edits on the nineteen other books published in the series has helped me see things more clearly. In fact, reading book nineteen has shown me just how much better the writing and editing became throughout the series. I thought the first was good--and it wasn't terrible, imo (I'm biased, though)--but it will be much better when I finish this little side project.
Now, the challenge is not to add something that's not there until later in the series.
Stay tuned!