For a while now I've been in a general malaise of gloom and depression. There are many factors for this but it's finally subsiding. That's a good thing because I have a lot I need to do and write and the book released in June (SOUL WIZARD: AWAKENING AVAILABLE NOW!) is just the beginning of what I have planned.
I don't know how long this newfound energy and optimism is going to last because, to be honest, it could be over tomorrow. Or next year. But well it lasts, I'm going to enjoy it and use it. As I said there's a lot I want to do.
One thing I know is that for a while now I've been seeing people hurt each other, get hurt and generally be in foul moods. I don't like it, I don't want to see it, and we all need to find a better path forward. I can't do that if I'm seeing horrific fights going down every time I log onto a website. As such I'm taking steps to protect myself and my mental health from those issues. I might not talk to you for my own good, but that doesn't mean I don't want you to stop working to better yourself, I have to take care of myself just as much as I want to take care of all of you.
So in the spirit of forcing myself (and by extension hoping all of you will push me), I'm going to announce some things that are going to be coming soon:
1: Complete, edit, and get book 2 of the Soul Wizard Journals by the end of the year to slate for early release in 2023.
2: Yet untitled Amazon Vella project. This is a bit interesting in that I have several chapters written and I know where it's pretty much going but I'm not sure how to execute it. Also, I need a title. maybe a beta reader or two? I'm not sure, but it's coming, hopefully by the end of July/early August. What I can reveal about it is that it's going to focus on a half-elf half-orc woman trying to balance the two sides of her well while navigating a world that fears and rejects her. Also this is going to be a very adult book so that's going to be ...interesting. We'll see what happens.
3: Resumption of Wellness Checks. I have a lot to say and need to stop worrying about giving unsolicited advice. There's a lot of people in pain who need help to remain hopeful and engaged in life and the world. I'm going to keep it contained to my own personal blogs and such so if you don't want it, you can ignore it, thus if you come here it's solicited. See what I did there?
4: Redoing my author website: This is going to be a massive pain but I need to completely revamp my website. I hate doing website building so this is going to take a while but it is coming. Any website designers want to donate some time? (kidding...sorta).
5: Community Writing Tricks. I've been thinking about this for a while and I want to do something to help bring writing communities together in a positive way that gets things back to writing. So I'm considering building a list of writing methods to get through tough scenes or get through some blockage. I'm going to do some examples but if you'd like to participate please contact me and we can discuss the details. There's no compensation, but my plan is to put together a rather large post with links to various tips with credit to the people who provide them. This is still in the works but I hope it will be fun and helpful for writers to use when they run into issues with their own stories.
6: Rewrites and new Querying. What did you think I had enough to do? Of course now. My first fully written book, An Empress of Silador is still looking for a home. I got some very (very) broad feedback of some general things that need fixing from a publisher a few months back so I'm going to get some rewrites in and start querying it again. I really believe in this series and belief it would be best served with the help of a publishing house, through an agent, or an indie house, and so I'm going to resume my search for that place. So if you know someone looking to publish a high fantasy adventure let me know.
7: Remind you that you are good enough, you're smart enough, and gosh darn it I just like you. Because you are amazing, and I need to make sure you know that, and I haven't been. For that, I apologize. But what would be even worse is now that I've recognized there's an issue I need to make sure I address it, and that is going to be an ongoing process to help remind you to believe in yourself, and failing that knowing that there is someone who does believe in you and your ability to be fantastic.
So there it is, projects, old and new, that I am going to be working on. Do me a favor and bug me occasionally to make sure I'm staying on them.
Stay hydrated, keep dreaming.