I just want to say I got eight of my nine characters to the Janiculum Hill (turned out the ninth didn't really need to be there) and have now closed the arcs on four of them. Two others (plus the one who wasn't there) are temporarily out of action, and the remaining two are on their way to a Very Important Meeting. My collaborator and I are rounding the corner to the end of this book, which is a damn good thing because our deadline's Jan. 1.