Mistakes have been made. By me. I made them.
Status
The Wizard’s Next Thing
I made next to zero progress on the word counts. The story stalled out in May. June did me no favors except that putting it down gave me a chance to let the story stew instead of slinging words at the page for the sake of putting words down. Sometimes that works. I want more than that for this book. I’ve been putting time in over the last few days. I think I’m in a better place, or will be once I figure out where the story went wrong. Probably Albuquerque.
Everything Else
No real change. At some point I’ll get back to those worlds. I just need to finish up with this one, at least temporarily.
The Wizard’s Cat
The audiobook dropped on June 16th. It is Audible exclusive, at least for now. Podium has been experimenting with wider distribution so keep your eyes peeled, if that’s something of interest to you. They generally don’t tell me when a book goes wide.
What Am I Reading?
I’m always on the lookout for some good new, self-published space opera. I found some last month with a collaboration between John Walker (an author I’ve read before) and David Cooper (whom I haven’t).
When a routine asteroid patrol turns up something that’s not an asteroid, it keys a series of events that unfold in unexpected but – to me – very satisfying ways. This is not your normal shoot-em-up, alien invasion story. Instead it’s an alternate take on what it might mean for humanity to join the interstellar community.
I just noticed book 2 dropped a few days ago. I know what I’m reading next!
But don’t take my word for it. Maybe grab a sample and see what you think.
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 feel a binge coming on. The game I’ve been playing (No Man’s Sky) to let my brain stew on the Shackleford problem has become a bit too humdrum. There’s no purpose in a fresh restart. The universe is still the same. My old game would still be there. Somewhere. Polluting the universe.
What I’ve gained in distance has given some new ideas room to breathe. How do I want this story to go? More to the point, how can I recapture the feeling of fun and discovery from the first book? I feel like it didn’t quite translate well into the second.
Don’t get me wrong. The Cat is as good a story as I could tell at the time.
But my goal is always to make the next story better. The difficulty comes in defining better.
I’m beginning to get that itch again. Jones-ing for the feeling that hammering out a few thousand words a day for a couple of weeks brings. The immediacy that it brings – and that I’ve missed over the last few books when I tried to write the way others thought I should.
Can I do it? I don’t know.
We’ll see what happens.
I’ll keep you posted.
Until next month, safe voyage.
I’m currently a fan of Elite Dangerous. There is something cathartic about hopping in a ship and heading literally where no one has gone before; my focus is scanning for exobiology. As ever, thanks for the suggestions of authors to try. I forget if you recommended Dan Willis, writing about a hard boiled detective who is also a mage, in a world where magic coexists with machines.
Hi 🙂 I just recently re read (or read for the first time after many years of audio books) all the books. It was such a Joy! Many thanks Nathan! I cant wait whats next and am also happy you recommend other books in the meantime. I finished with Salt and it was great.
I’ve been playing No Man’s Sky on & off for the last 9 years. It’s a good game to veg out, since most stuff is slow and relaxing, but it does get very repetitive, and a number of the last stuff they added doesn’t really add much to the game.
Just seen this quote by Robert Graves (WWI poet): “There is no such thing as good writing, only good rewriting.” It speaks to me of large chunks of story told and retold. Of readers who say ‘it’s fine’ and your own insistent voice telling you it’s not fine. I am as impatient as everyone else to revisit Roger, Gideon, Barbara and the rest. While waiting, I have read some of the series you have recommended — and enjoyed some of them. None, so far, have been as satisfying as your tales, due, I think, to the quality of your writing and rewriting. So, much as I want Volume 3 of Shackleford House to be finished, please take the time you need to craft a tale you are happy with.
Too funny. I just finished the Wizards Cat and my next book is book 5 of Too Old to Die by John Walker. Guess its meant to be. ❤️
I wonder how many people got your reference to Albuquerque?
John