More aspirational than actual. We could use the rain. March has seen some progress.

Status

The Wizard’s Next Thing
It’s coming together. Slowly, in fits and starts, but it’s coming.

The Wizard’s Cat
My efforts are complete. We’re just waiting out the production calendar for Podium to get the audio book out. If you haven’t notice, the pre-order for that is already up.

Everything Else
Nothing has changed. Yes, I’ll be getting back to the Deep Dark eventually. Yes, I really want to get back to Tanyth Fairport. No, neither of those things are going to happen any time soon. Sorry. I have too many projects I want to work on. If I worked on all of them, nothing would get done. Wizard has the priority, at least for now.

What Am I Reading

I’ve been on another litRPG kick, apparently. After Devon Coal, I started Samson Chui’s Towerbound (which I recommended to my listserv last month), then rolled right into the Tunnel Rat series by Walrus King.

Milo’s story starts out pretty bleak but watching him develop over the series (I’m going to slide off the end of book 4 tonight, probably) and the machinations he goes through have kept me up late reading too often. It would be easy to dismiss him as just another stat grinding, over powered main character, but I’m finding a lot of heart amid the various escapades. I’m going to be sorry to move on when it’s done.

As I always say, don’t take my word for it. Grab a sample and see if the little ratkin tickles your funny bone as much as he has mine.

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

I’m spending time with Roger every day now. Not the big word count days of yore but still carving the story out of the blank page. I’m happy with the results so far. A good start that might even survive the second draft.

It feels good to be word herding again. Renewed by having a fresh story to explore after spending so much time on trying to get the Cat together. No, it’s not smooth, Not perfect. Not fast.

But I like what’s going onto the page. I just need to keep at it.

Until next month, safe voyage.

The last month seems to have evaporated. It disappeared into games, books, and the occasional bread making.

Status

The Wizard’s Cat
I finally figured out the problem with the paperback proofs. My own fault for not placing the orders in the right place at the right time. In theory, they’re on the way to me now. I’ll get that edition up as soon as I can. Podium has given me a date of 6/16/26 for the audiobook. You can already pre-order it.

The Wizard’s Next Thing
I don’t know what it’s going to be but I’m going to start something this month. For now, we’ll just call it The Next Thing and see what my brain thinks.

Everybody Else
I keep thinking about Ishmael and Zoya, and I’ll have to dig around in that pile pretty soon, I think. Just to clear the way. Also, the Salt sequel keeps bobbing to the surface occasionally before getting drowned again in the noise.

What Am I Reading?

This month, space opera. Jaxon Reed’s Agents of the Planetary Republic, but I’ve written about Reed’s work before (See also: Star Farmer). I’m in the middle of Robert M. Kerns’s Shepherd Security Services series now and I’m hooked.

The set up is alien abduction, but it goes poorly for the abductors. Already an interesting twist with a few surprises. The main character, Alex, turns out to be something of a chosen one to the interstellar civilization he gets transported to. Worse, he has no idea how to to get home.

He rapidly becomes the hot new bounty hunter in a society that not only condones but encourages the practice. With his Wyoming, six-gun roots and a moral compass welded to true north, he soon gets way more attention than he wants.

Often a little too good to be true, things breaking in his favor – mostly. There’s a lot to process with this first book and the series that follows (2 books still in pre-order status, darn it). I found myself thinking “some of this looks really familiar…” But I also have a hard time putting it down. That’s a good thing.

But don’t take my word for it. Maybe grab a sample and see for yourself.

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

For the first time in months, I’m feeling rested. Not completely yet, but certainly more relaxed. Getting the Cat off my desk finally will be a turning point. I’ll finally be able to move on to the next thing, even if it’s not something “completely different,” as the saying goes.

I still have a lot of hanging projects. Tanyth Fairport audio, for one. The Salt sequel for another. Those two will need the assistance of others. So far, I’ve not been able to get those things lined up. Moving back to the Deep Dark, I really want to see what those crazy kids are up to, but it’s going to be a while before I’m able to put Shackleford House down. I need to get the story settled enough – or become so fatigued with it – that I can put it aside for a while and do a brain cleanse.

Whatever happens, I’m still here. Still walking (even if a lot of it has been on the treadmill for the last month). Still planning for writing something again soon. Shackleford House next, of course, but after that? Who knows…

But until next month, safe voyage.