It all came together...
So, last night after 3 days of insomnia and 2 days of throwing up whatever I ate, I had a breakthrough with AYNBtM. The story twisted on itself and it twisted just the right way so that suddenly a number of plot points fit snugly together. I was furiously writing down over 6 legal pad notebook pages full of notes. I got at least 13 or more chapters worth of character development and plot advancement and a lot of it, as it is revealed, does a damn good job of explaining some unanswered questions from the very first chapter and beyond! Some very mild spoilers: The reason why James was branded has been set-up, Murtogg, Mullroy, and Groves' entanglement in Cutler Beckett's web is partially revealed, Mr. Mercer gets some spot light, and I've figured out how to do more with AWE throw-away character Admiral Bratton. w00t!