Fast Facts about EMBASSY

I haven't posted something like this about my book yet, so why not start now? Here are some facts about my New Adult Science-fiction novel, EMBASSY.

1. The first draft was 151,653 words
2. All technicalities aside, I wrote a vast majority of the first draft in 10 days.
3. I wrote and revised EMBASSY thirteen times between January 5, 2013, and June 13, 2014.
4. EMBASSY is currently 76,498 words long, a mere 50% of the first draft.
5. EMBASSY is required reading at a high school in Kansas.
6. Hologis wasn't a part of EMBASSY until the third draft.
7. Roughly 85% to 90% of the final draft wasn't in the first draft.
8. The idea for EMBASSY came from a short story I submitted to a magazine. In it, Michael and Arman infiltrate an alien fortress and assassinate the leader. Arman is subsequently arrested for money laundering. (As anyone who's read EMBASSY can tell you, the book is completely different).
9. The tropical, ocean-covered planet Daliona was originally called Dinverst.
10. Undil wasn't a desert planet in the first two drafts. It had forests and rivers.
11. EMBASSY is loosely based on a true story.
12. I like to say the most difficult part of writing EMBASSY was, and still is, inventing names for the fictional food and drinks.
13. The Narvidian language wasn't added until the fourth draft.
14. Arman's job on the Ember is based off a job I had at a hospital.
15. I have completely deleted and rewritten the opening chapter 49 times, while I've changed other chapters only once or twice.
16. Glacia Haverns was a minor character in the first draft, and wasn't relevant to the story.
17. There were aliens in the first four drafts of the story.
18. The layout of the Undil Embassy was inspired by the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and key landmarks in the area.