Looking back at 2021, I didn’t do a lot of things I wanted to do. Most of my goals fell far short of my intentions. Rather than getting depressed about the things I didn’t do and laying out grand plans for making it right in 2022, I thought I’d talk about what I did manage to pull out of my hat.

First, I wrote 413,367 words. That’s four novels worth of stories in the pipeline. Three Ishmael books that need second draft editing and third draft polish. It’s over 100,000 words toward a first draft of The Wizard’s Cat. I need to move some of these projects along but I’ve got a basketful of stories going into the year.

Second, I read a lot – 200 books according to my Kindle reading insights. That’s almost four books a week. My reading goal for the year was 90. My streak counters say I’ve read 179 weeks and 266 days in a row. Reading is a necessary key to writing for me. Over the years I’ve learned that if I’m not writing, I’m probably not reading.

Third, I walked and talked a 109 days. That’s not a great number. Fewer than 1 day in 3. Still, it’s 218 miles. I can do better and I really need to. My mind and body both need it.

Fourth, I survived. With everything happening around all of us, I could easily fall into despair. It’s hard to see a path out but I’m going to keep taking one day at a time to see where I end up.

Reading in Review

So many books. Looking back over the list of titles, a few items pop out.

First, Jerry Boyd’s Bob & Nicki series – 21 titles. When I picked up the first one, I had no idea what kind of wild ride I’d be taking. Fun stories filled with heart and running gags. In a universe filled with strange alien races, Jerry Boyd manages to find the best in humanity without sugar-coating the darker impulses.

Then there’s Mackey Chandler’s April and Family Law. A fan suggested these books in response to a silly question in my newsletter. Each series follows a plucky hero on her journey to a better tomorrow. A great deal of fun wrapped in 18 novels.

I also read a huge swath of LitRPG and GameLit, stories that take place because the main characters get stuck in some kind of game world and need to navigate the perils and pitfalls in order to escape. Or at least survive. GameLit is a strange little corner in speculative fiction. The genre started out with the usual kinds of role-playing games. Sword and sorcery. Leveling up the character’s skills. It’s growing into new kinds of games and I’ve been fascinated by the stories that come from it.

I also read M C Burnell’s The Foreign Sorcerer. It’s a four-book series that just keeps coming back to me. I’ve promoted it here before and I’m still thinking about it. Of all the fantasy I’ve read this year, it’s really the stand out for me.

Final Words

I’m running out of time, but then we all are, aren’t we? It’s just part of being human. The older I get, the less I think that having time matters as much as using it while we have it.

My hope for the new year is that I use my remaining time well. We’ll have to see what that looks like together.

Happy New Year, one and all.

I’m getting better. Really. I made a lot of progress last month. There’s a light on the horizon.

At least I hope that’s the horizon and it’s, you know, a light and not something like a forest fire burning inexorably in my direction …

Status

Salt. Yeah. This is one of the things that’s bugging me. I’m going to have to get out the heavy guns and resort to some kind of bribery to get myself off the time. It sounds harsher than it is. I haven’t dug into it because I’m burning all my writing time on the next project.

The New Ishmael
I don’t even know what to call this any more. The manuscript I’m working on is way too long for one book. I’m well over 300k words now, but the positive news is that I know where the ending is. I just need to get to it. I’m still not sure how many books this will be. At least two. Probably three. It’s going to take a while for me to a) get to the end, then b) cut it into the right pieces, and c) do the patching to make it all make sense. (It’s kind of a mess.)

The Wizard’s Cat
When Roger finds a feral gray tabby lurking in the gardens behind Shackleford House, things get a little tense for the pixies. (It’s coming. We’ll see how this looks by the end of the month.)

AUDIO

Dark Knight Station: Origins is available for pre-order from Audible. Drops June 29.

What Am I Reading?

Where to begin. I’ve read a lot of quirky books this month. It started a new Glynn Steward book (Eyes of Tomorrow), then went to a paranormal romance by Deana Chase (Witching for Clarity), a couple of really dark fantasy stories by Krista D. Ball (Fury, Schemes), a contemporary romance (Her Big City Neighbor by Jackie Lau), a weird western (Sidewinder by David Faux), shifted to xianxia by Tao Wong (Thousand Li: First War) … I’m leaving some out, I know.

It’s been a big month for reading and I’m pretty sure that’s the reason I’ve made so much progress on my writing.

The recommendation this month is Bob’s Saucer Repair by Jerry Boyd. Somebody recommended it to me in response to the last newsletter and I’ll be honest. I really wasn’t sure about this one.

But I fell in love. It’s a goofy, spoofy book with so much heart, I started reading and couldn’t put it down.

See Bob comes home one Friday night and finds Nikki’s stashed her broken down saucer in his garage and … yeah. Hijinx ensue, as they say.

Looking for a fun read, maybe grab a sample and see what you think.

Last Words

I can’t tell you how much better I feel about this new Ishmael … thing. Being able to see an end point–a place where I can actually break this thing off–has made me push my word counts up a little higher each day as the end gets nearer. I made my monthly goal for May and made up for three more days from January before calling it a month.

It feels pretty good and I’m looking forward to finding out what happens next.

In the meantime, safe voyage.

Thanks to a fun little exercise at ConvertKit (my email provider, believe it or not), February got back on track and I made up three of the days I blew off in January. I also got my first vaccine shot a week ago and should get the second Real Soon Now.

No bad news this month. I just let the world go on without me while I worked on the 2k a day habit.

Status

Salt – Book 1 of the Barbarians – came back from Karen over the weekend. I let my co-author have first crack at it but I’ll be digging in over the next coupld of days.

New Ishmael
I’ve been beavering away on this story all month and it’s not over yet. I talked about it in one of my recent podcasts. I know where I want this story to go. I have some ideas about what it might look like but none of these characters are cooperating. Right now I can’t tell if I’ve got one book (that will need some serious pruning) or two books that might serve as the first two legs of a trilogy. The trilogy? That’s probably going to need sequels.

Wizard’s Cat
Every time I turn around, this story slaps me. I really need to clear Ishmael off my desk so I can get to this. Ever had a cat lick your arm and not stop? Yeah. Like that. But my brain. Stay tuned.

Tanyth Fairport
A lot of people have been asking questions on social media. Questions that I answered with “Tanyth Fairport.” Clearly, I’ve been thinking of her a lot. Salt is set in her universe, just not with her.

Audio

Dark Knight Station: Origins is due from Podium on April 20. It’s still in production but it’s getting closer.

Tanyth Audio
The producer (not Podium) still hasn’t given me the files. I need to find him again and get an update. If he can’t do it, I know somebody who can.

What Am I Reading?

I read so much in February. Tons of Glynn Steward. More litRPG. Deanna Chase. All three of T. A. White’s Firebird Chronicles. I just dove into those books like a 12-year-old cannon-balling into the hotel pool.

But somebody recommended this quirky book by C. Litka – The Bright Black Sea.

I’ve seen this book come through my various timelines off and on but the cover and the subtitle turned me off. “The Lost Star Stories, Volume One.” Made it sound like a collection of shorts and I’m too old to read short stories. This time something made me give it a try and I’m really glad I did.

The writing is quirky, atmospheric. The pacing is slow, almost glacial, but the story keeps strolling along. It takes a bit to find the rhythm of it but it’s clearly done with purpose. It’s almost steampunky in flavor but without all the steam powered rocket ships. The characters–specifically the captain Wil Litang–bring this story to life.

I’m about halfway through it but I’m enjoying every page. Maybe grab a sample and think what you think?

Last Words

February was a transformational month. I’ve got my writing going again, at least for the moment. I’ve had my first vaccine shot. Over the last few days I feel like I’ve gotten my feet back under me. In the metaphorical as well as literal sense.

It’s too early to claim victory in my war of the words. I’ve got a solid month behind me, a lot of momentum, and stories that I want to tell. I’m cautiously optimistic about finishing up the first quarter strong with at least one new book in the pipeline even while we work to get Salt produced and out for you to read.

In the meantime, stay safe. Keep reading.