So, May didn’t actually work for me.

I only got 1/3rd of my goal in word for the month and made almost zero progress on any of the projects. I didn’t walk very often, managed to wrack up my rib cage while changing the filter in our furnace, and then got sick for a few days, just as icing on the cake.

Quick recap.

I have covers coming for Troy Harbor and Dark Knight Station: Origins.

Audio for the Shaman Tales will be coming this fall from Podium. I owe

Karen the draft for Troy Harbor tomorrow. I’m going to be late.

I have yet to find the thread on any follow up project which is the root of the problem.

• Ishmael and Company started up but I can’t find the handle on them. They’ve all achieved their goals and now they’re just boring.
• I’ve toyed with several choices of Shackleford House stories but can’t seem to make any of them gel the way that Butler did.
• I’ve explored other “Origins” stories but – as with everything else – nothing grabs me.

One positive note: I got the draft for Hostage back from the co-writer.

So, I’ve got three drafts waiting for me to do something with while I’m fighting a goal (2k a day every day) that feels more and more arbitrary as I go.

Perhaps I’ll be able to turn things around in June.

February came through for me. I kept to my basic plan of 2,000 new words every day and using the rest of the day to work on second drafts, production, etc. I didn’t get as much walking in as I needed to, but there’s next month. Early on, I was still recovering from the January surgery. I got more walks in–and more talks in–near the end of the month.

Statistics:

February:	63,534
For the Year:	141,480
Current WIP:	117,500
Streak Words:	375,614
Days in a Row:	139
Average words per day:	2,702

Status:

Audio:

• Home Run is currently available for pre-order on Audible. It drops March 3.
• South Coast is in production at Podium. No word yet on narrator or schedule. I’ve contracted with Podium to produce all three Shaman’s Tales.

Paper:

• Cape Grace is currently available in a non-refeshable cellulose display edition.

Ebook:

• No new books dropped in February.

WIP:

• The Wizard’s Butler is with the editor and I’m still waiting for the cover art.
• Hostage (Book 1 of the Barbarians series) is in second draft. This book will be a while in production because I’m co-writing it and we both need to agree on the draft before we give it to the editor.
• Dark Knight Station: Origins remains the current first draft, new words project. I should find an end here in the next couple of days. When I do, it’ll slide into the “afternoon” queue.
• Next project might be Troy Harbor – the last of the Shaman’s Tales. I’d like to wrap that series up before I forget too much about the story line.

What Am I Reading?

I neglected to recommend a book in February so let me recommend Carol Van Natta’s Central Galactic Concordance series. I inhaled the first two and forced myself to put down the series and address some of the samples waiting in my TBR pile. Great world building. Interesting characters, but (fair warning) there’s kissing. Which – for the record – I support.

Book 1: Overload Flux

Last Words

Two months into the “2k for 2020” campaign, I’m keeping up with the words. Shifting gears to work on a different book in the afternoon is more hampered by my ability to actually get the 2k in before lunch than my ability to shift my brain to a different story line.

Mid-month I felt the rise of incipient burn-out. I pushed too hard and neglected some of the self-care that I need. I’ve made some adjustments on calendar and expectation. The burn-out seems to be averted for the moment.

I feel good. I’m happy with the work. I’m looking forward to publishing at least one of these WIPs before April and I’m ready to roar into March.