Some how I forgot to post on the first. Probably because I wasn’t looking at my planner. My ADHD has been out of control for a few weeks and I’m also struggling with a flare-up of my arthritis.

Thanks to Wayne Edwards for nudging me.

Status

Dark Knight Station: Origins will have a cover soon. I’ve seen some mock-ups and like the way it’s going. The manuscript has gone to Podium already and will get slotted into their production schedule for next year. Stay tuned.

The Barbarian book I’m writing with my daughter is still in revision and has not been to the editor yet.

I’ve been pecking away at a new Ishmael book. It’s book one of a new series. I like the direction. I think it has a lot of legs. I just have to find some focus and get the words flowing.

All the published books should have a paperback edition. I’ve posted them and I’m planning on releasing ebook and paper for Dark Knight at the same time.

What am I reading?

I just finished Witching for Hope by Deanna Chase. It’s another in the Women’s Paranormal Fiction group that I’ve been savoring over the course of the year. This is book 2 and it’s just as good as the first one.

And since I’m late, before that I finished book 4 in Katie Salidas’s series, Method to Her Magic. I’ve been waiting for that book for a while and stumbled on it when Katie tweeted about book 5. Yes. I liked it.

I just started Night Shift Dragons, book 3 in Rachel Aaron’s DFZ series.

Last Words

These last few weeks have been impossible. Between my arthritis and my ADHD fighting over what’s going to be left over for writing, the answer has been “what?”

As I eye the impending year end, I’m feeling pretty good over all. I will get four books out this year – a feat I haven’t accomplished since 2007, the first year I started writing. In the year since I started using 4thewords, I’ve written 603k words. I’m pretty sure that’s the most I’ve ever done in a 12 month period.

I have a few weeks left to the year to get some more stories in the pipeline for 2021. Fingers crossed that I’ll not be spending them trying to breathe.

The last couple of weeks have been a bit ragged but we’re starting the last quarter of 2020 and NaNoWriMo is halfway between here and New Years. That gives me a month to finish this new Ishmael story so I’ll have a new book to start then.

Status

Recent Releases:
Finwell Bay–book three of the Shaman’s Tales–dropped into Amazon in mid-month. I recovered all the Shaman Tales to use the Podium covers. I think they’re gorgeous.

Audio:
The last two Shaman Tales will be coming out between now and the end of the year. I signed the next two books – Dark Knight Station: Origins and The Wizard’s Butler– for Podium production next year.

I’m still waiting on the files for the Tanyth books. It’s … complicated.

Text:
Dark Knight Station: Origins is with my editor–who has been hospitalized. She’s working on it as she can but I’m not expecting her to work from her bed. At this point, I’m pretty sure it’s the cover art that will be the hold up. I’m working with a new artist and I like her enthusiasm. I’m looking forward to seeing the first mockups.

The Barbarian series–the one I’m co-writing with my daughter–got some good beta feedback. She’s reworking some of the pieces so it’s on her desk right now. I’m loving that book. It’s been a long time coming. We started thinking about it three years ago. It may take a few more months until the egg is ready to hatch but I think it’ll be worth the wait.

Paperbacks:
I’m behind on The Wizard’s Butler and Finwell Bay. My goal is to be caught up by the end of the month because people have already been asking about Christmas.

What I’m Reading

I spent much of September looking for new authors but I’m back in Glynn Stewart land with another military SF title – The Peacekeeper Initiative, Book 2 in the Peacekeepers of Sol series.

This title is much more space opera than military SF, even if all the action happens on a warship. I particularly liked the interplay among the various characters. Their relationships have deepened and grown since the first book, Raven’s Peace.

Last Words

Third quarter hasn’t been kind to anybody. I went into September with a solid focus that fell apart around mid month for no good reason other than–well–everything. The skies here are still smokey enough to sting my eyes sometimes. The sunrises are mostly obscured except for a baleful, red orb climbing out of the horizon. But with a new month, we have a new opportunity to get stuff in the pipeline for 2021.

I like October. I always have. It marks the end of the heat and the beginning of cooler weather. We had a taste of snow already, but it was only a promise of things to come. I’m ready for the cooler temps, the hoodie weather, and “stew season.”

The title for this month’s post comes from a song by Ron Pope. When I went looking for something musical this one–among many others–struck just the right chords for me. No pun intended.

Keep reading. Keep loving. Keep reading.

See you next month.

In the olden days in Maine, school started after Labor Day so September has always been back to school month for me. It’s been a long time since I looked forward to fresh notebooks and pens, but it seems that I might have caught the spirit this year.

Status:

South Coast released on Audible today. The pre-order has been up for a couple of weeks but it’s ready for you to download.

Cape Grace is in Podium’s queue for a mid-October release.

The audio for the last Shaman’s Tale – Finwell Bay (was Troy Harbor) – should drop on December 31 so you’ll have something upbeat for New Year’s Eve. I’m planning on publishing the ebook in a couple of weeks if the stars align. It’s back from the editor and I need to do a bit of work on it still.

The book I’m co-writing with my daughter has gone out for beta reading and we’re currently revising it a little based on that feedback. It’ll have a new title so we just refer to it in-house as The Barbarian Book. I’m hoping to pass that to my editor as soon as she’s done with the book she’s working on now.

Speaking of my editor, Dark Knight Station: Origins has gone for edits. I’m currently working with a new cover artist and hope to get the edits and the cover together at the same time.

I’m writing the next Ishmael Wang book. It took me a while to find the story I wanted to tell. I kept trying to force the story in a path that just didn’t work. My subconscious knew it but it took a while for my brain to catch on. I’m loving the new direction and I’m back on the horse in terms of writing every day.

What I’m Reading Now:

Warehouse Dreams by Theresa Halvorson.

I read a couple of trad pubbed books in the last month. One on purpose. One that I didn’t realize was trad pubbed when I picked it up. This book has been in my TBR pile for at least a month and I finally got it to the top of the stack.

It’s awesome. A culture clash between people with gifts and those without. I’m about half way through and have no qualms about recommending it whole-heartedly.

Last Words

I’ve been struggling since mid-April. I went to work on editing the books I had in the queue starting in mid-June. In mid-August we had our semi-annual NovelRama event and it lit a fire under me. I’m 40k words into the new book and suddenly have ideas for a new works going forward.

The year is shaping up to be the most productive I’ve had since 2007. I’m cautiously optimistic that the last third of the year will continue the trend and set up 2021 to be even better.

Although I’ve probably just jinxed myself with that.

Ah, well. See you next month.

Safe voyage.