Dog Days

August 1, 2025 by Nathan Leave a comment

July started so well but summer beat me down.

Status

The Wizards Cat
It’s still open on my desktop. I look at it but I’ve not managed to move the needle much. I blame the summer doldrums. It’s as good an excuse as any.

Everything Else
No change. I’ll eventually get back to SF. Someday we’ll get the Tanyth audiobooks squared away. I have zero idea when

What Am I Reading?

I’m still ruminating on the Looman’s book. There are seven lessons and I’ve yet to manage all seven. In spite of that I’ve been reading up a storm, mostly grinding through fantasy and litRPG series.

My recommendation for the month is BR Kingsolver’s Rosie O’Grady’s Paranormal Bar series. I’m kind of a sucker for underdog-makes-good stories and Kingsolver’s Erin McLane filled the bill for me. Great, very flawed main character trying to make up for the damage she’s done while healing from the damage done to her. Terrific supporting cast including the bar owner, Sam O’Grady, and a host of others. I even liked the vampires a little.

Quite violent. Lots of fights and people getting swords stuck in them various ways. Most of them deserved it. I still enjoyed it.

But, as always, don’t take my word for it. Maybe grab a sample of book 1, Shadow Hunter, and see what you think.

A dark haired woman in a blood red leather coat and black pants stares out of dark alley with green fire rising from the palms of her hands. She does not look friendly.

About the Newsletter
I publish a newsletter every month on the 15th. You don’t need to subscribe to get the mid-month update. You can find them archived on my newsletter’s public page at Kit.

Looking Forward

The household got turned upside-down mid-month when one of the kids got an apartment and moved out. It’s a great place. Perfect starter in a nice neighborhood. Small and a “walk-down” but in this climate, that means buffered from the heat of summer and the cold of winter. It left a hole in our well-ordered household and we’re all catching up from the change.

I expect the hot weather will continue putting a damper on my morning walk, which makes my mental health – not to mention my physical health – suffer. I’ll get it back together. Eventually.

I’m still planning on finishing this book. Eventually. Certainly before I try to write anything else.

For what it’s worth, I feel like I’m in a better place now. I just need that place to include a recalcitrant cat.

Until next month, safe voyage.

-N

Summer Heat

July 1, 2025 by Nathan 5 Comments

We’ve moved into summer, officially. The period where we celebrate days when the temp only reaches 90F. Yet there’s some encouraging news this month.

Status

The Wizards Cat
The sprints didn’t last long, but something else happened. I just started writing spontaneously. Keeping the file open on the desktop. Yesterday I wrote for about an hour before I realized what I was doing. Felt good. Natural. Like maybe … no. I won’t jinx it.

Everything Else
Still on hold. I’ve had glimmers of Ishmael and Zoya stories peeking out around the edges. It will be good to get back together with them eventually.

What Am I Reading?

The most significant reading has been Paul Loomans’s I’ve Got Time. It’s not a book I’d recommend for entertainment but it has really helped me rebuilding my practice. It’s working (as evidenced by the recent writing) but it will take some (pardon the expression) time.

Book of the month? I spent a lot of time with Cássio Ferreira’s Hidden Class: Handyman series. It hit all the right buttons for me with a doofus turning his life around by playing in virtual reality. Fun, occasionally funny. A bit silly at times but I enjoyed the first three volumes.

It might not be your cup of joe, but maybe grab a sample and give it a try. You might like it.

A young man dressed in gray clothing with a headband holding his hair back spins clay on a potter's wheel.

About the Newsletter
I’m still publishing it on the 15th of the month. You don’t need to subscribe to get a mid-month update from me. You can find them archived on my newsletter’s public page at Kit.

Looking Forward

Reading the Loomans book has helped me re-organize my daily routine by making it less about “getting things done” and more about “letting things happen.” Like the writing. Letting it happen instead of making a production of it.

I might have been over-thinking it. Trying to hard to make it happen. Loomans has me rethinking the way I organize everything. I’ve shuffled my morning around to minimize the distractions. Making the first couple of hours of the day flow comfortably instead of rushing, pushing to get things done as soon as possible so I can do whatever. The things I want to get done, get done. I still have my checklist but it’s a safety belt against ADHD instead of a rigid set of commands.

I feel like I can breathe again after much too long.

Will it work for awhile? Probably. I’m still working through the 7 lessons.

Will it last? Time will tell.

Until next month, crew, safe voyage.

– N

June Bugs

June 2, 2025 by Nathan 14 Comments

May didn’t go well, in spite of a reasonably good start. Too much going on beyond my control.

Status

The Wizards Cat
I’ve started word sprints again. They’re one of the best tools I have for getting things flowing. Mostly in fits and starts but it’s more start than fit. Fingers crossed for the rest of the month

Everything Else
Still virtually frozen in storage. I have no idea what project I’ll take on after this Cat starts prowling, but everything will be on the table again.

What Am I Reading?

I stumbled on some early Michael Chatfield a couple of weeks ago. His Emerilia series whet my appetite for litRPG after getting started with Matt Dinniman’s Dominion of Blades. I’ve been through a couple of his other litRPG series but finding an early space opera made my month.

The Recruitment Rise of the Free Fleet, book 1 of the Free Fleet series, starts when Earth gets invaded by alien slavers, capturing our hero, James Cook and his merry band of top tier video gamers on the cusp of their championship game. The story and universe unfolds, step by step, as Cook and his fellow slaves become trained up as cannon fodder for their captors, a group calling themselves the Planetary Defense Force.

This series is straight up Big Guns and Bigger Ships military/space opera in a sprawling universe. Much war. Many set backs. Ships cracked, broken, boarded, and exploded.

If you can handle the warfare, you might like this series as much as I do.

Maybe grab a sample and see what you think.

A large, blocky space ship looking battered and beaten on flies toward the viewer. A blue planet looms in the background while a small fighter-style ship zooms toward the mothership

Looking Forward

Slow progress is still progress. I keep looking for that spark that has me fighting to get back to the keyboard and push the story ahead. So far, each spark has fizzled. I’m still writing something every day. Sometimes not much more than a few hundred words but they count. The word sprints show improvement, albeit irregular, but I’ll take it.

I’m my own biggest obstacle these days, but with some help from my friends and the support of people like you, I think there might still be a chance I can finish this book before I kick the bucket.

Fingers crossed.

Until next month, safe voyage.

-N