So far, so good. The year keeps unfolding, day by day and I’m just trying to keep up with it. Succeeding. Mostly.

Status

The Wizard’s Cat
Finally got the proof marked up and the paperback released. It just went up this weekend so it may be a couple of days before it appears in your store. The audio pre-order (for those who celebrate) is already available and showing a nice pre-order price as of this writing, should you be interested.

The Wizard’s Next Thing
I’ve got something in mind. It’s still percolating but I think it’s the right path forward for everybody concerned. I’ll be trying out a few of the ideas over the next few weeks. You know. Just to see if the ideas have any legs. Stay tuned.

Everybody Else
Those pesky space-niks keep showing up in my imaginings. Ishmael and Zoya, in particular, but that trickster Pip, as well. In spite of that, I may have to go back to Korlay and see what’s happened with Tanyth and Frank now that change has come. There’s a lot of unfinished business there.

What Am I Reading?

I read a lot of space opera in January but almost exclusively fantasy in February. Lots of interesting stuff. Laurence Dahners has a series (Tales of Simple Magic) and S. D. McKittrick’s Homestead Crafter has an interesting take on progression fantasy. The one I keep thinking about is Michael Gnizak’s Devon Coal.

It starts out a little rough and shaky but Grizak settles in to the tale and by the end of the sample I was hooked. I breezed through all four volumes in a matter of a few days and looked around for more.

The set up, a young man with a bum leg leaves his small village in order to seek his fortune and win the winsome girl of his dreams. He navigates a circuitous and sometimes painful path on the way to fame and fortune.

He does get the girl in the end, but learns a lot about his absent mother, his true roots, and slowly builds a life for himself that he could never have imagined.

Rough in patches, but engaging in spite of it all.

Highly recommended but you should grab a sample before you buy to 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

I’m still chugging along on my quest for 40 miles a month. The two out of three day pattern has proven out over the first two months of the year. I’m feeling stronger than I have for a while and taking a lot of satisfaction from it, even if too much of February was on the treadmill.

As I alluded to above, I’ve got the Wizard’s Next Thing open in my word processor. Just noodling around with some ideas. Seeing if they have legs. I’m not making much that you might consider progress but I’m liking what’s been happening so far this year and hope it continues.

In other news, we finally got a new cat. After losing our aged queen a few months ago, we postponed bringing in a new member until after the window work. That happened at the end of December but we weren’t ready to adopt until a couple weeks ago.

Seamus has joined the family. He’s rapidly making himself at home.

So, a new month begins. New challenges abound.

I’m looking forward to all of them.

Until next month, safe voyage.

A theme emerged from the shambles that was July. The universe hit me with notes about “showing up” and “the first five minutes.” A zen monk might have contributed.

Status

The Wizard’s Cat
At long last, I’m within a few words of the end of this initial draft. I’ve written more this month than I have in the previous year and it feels great.

Everything Else
Back seat on all of it. I know there are things that need doing to clear up old issues but getting the Cat off my desk has my sole focus.

What Am I Reading?

Looking back at my content library, I apparently read a lot of less than engaging samples. The book(s) I can recommend this month are the continuation of Sarah J. Hoodlet’s Way of the Wielder series. I recommended book 1 in last September’s post. Books 2 and 3 have come out since then and I just caught up with the story and it’s just as good, possibly better, than I remember.

It’s fantasy with a unique magic system and some extensive universe building. Each member of the cast of characters each brings their own contribution to the tale. It’s a story I loved spending time with and enjoyed every moment.

Some notes: The series gets a little racier (what the kids call “spicy” these days) as it goes on. Very tastefully done. There’s a hint that there might be a new series in the final chapter. It’s not exactly a cliff-hanger but very much a story thread that could grow into something in the future.

I really liked this series, but – as always – don’t take my word for it. 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

Something about August seemed to snap everything into focus in the middle of the first week. The “better place” I mentioned in last month’s post bore some fruit.

First, I decided to give up the idea of walking every day. I was failing at it regularly so I re-calibrated my expectations to be a 40 mile month. That’s just two out of three days. Surely, I could do that. The month became a series of 1, 2, and 3 days. Take the date, divide by 3. If the result is zero, no walking. Otherwise, walk.

Seems silly but it worked. I walked 42 miles last month.

Second, along with the walking came the mental and physical health boosts of getting up and moving first thing in the morning. This fed directly into my writing time and yielded major dividends. With almost 50k new words, the story got through the mushy middle and pushed through to what I think is going to be a satisfying ending for book 2 (wink, wink).

It’s still going to be weeks before I get this through the editing and publishing process. I’ve learned not to predict this stuff. Still, this first complete manuscript is the key milestone toward releasing the Wizard’s Cat into the wild.

I thought a lot about “showing up” and the importance of applying it. Early in the month I was reminded of the importance of sticking through the first five minutes. Those first five minutes always suck. For months, getting through them had been problematic. Sure, a few days I could get some words down. Some days it felt like I turned a corner only to run into a brick wall by the end of the week.

The walking helped all that. So did playing games. So did the Bradbury advice: Don’t Think.

So I showed up, threw away all my word sprints and gamification and planned interruptions, and just wrote for an hour at a time. Yes, I timed it so I would take a break and walk around a little between sessions.

And thanks to the Paul Loomans book, I’ve Got Time, I discovered that relying on intuition actually helped. By doing less scheduling, simpler planning, and working on kairos rather than chronos¹ time my ADHD became much less of an obstacle.

Will this new found energy stick around as the weather turns cooler? I hope so. Racing the sunrise to walk before the day heated up gave me a non-negotiable starting point for the day. Throwing out the “streak” mentality by enforcing a regular reset helped a great deal. Having the 40 mile goal gave me an achievable milestone to shoot for without having to be “perfect” to get there.

Most of all, the satisfaction of finally seeing this story come together, however flawed it is at the moment, has put new wind in my ancient sails.

I can’t wait to see what happens next.

Until next month, safe voyage.

1. Ancient Greeks Had Two Words For Time

July started so well but summer beat me down.

Status

The Wizards Cat
It’s still open on my desktop. I look at it but I’ve not managed to move the needle much. I blame the summer doldrums. It’s as good an excuse as any.

Everything Else
No change. I’ll eventually get back to SF. Someday we’ll get the Tanyth audiobooks squared away. I have zero idea when

What Am I Reading?

I’m still ruminating on the Looman’s book. There are seven lessons and I’ve yet to manage all seven. In spite of that I’ve been reading up a storm, mostly grinding through fantasy and litRPG series.

My recommendation for the month is BR Kingsolver’s Rosie O’Grady’s Paranormal Bar series. I’m kind of a sucker for underdog-makes-good stories and Kingsolver’s Erin McLane filled the bill for me. Great, very flawed main character trying to make up for the damage she’s done while healing from the damage done to her. Terrific supporting cast including the bar owner, Sam O’Grady, and a host of others. I even liked the vampires a little.

Quite violent. Lots of fights and people getting swords stuck in them various ways. Most of them deserved it. I still enjoyed it.

But, as always, don’t take my word for it. Maybe grab a sample of book 1, Shadow Hunter, 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

The household got turned upside-down mid-month when one of the kids got an apartment and moved out. It’s a great place. Perfect starter in a nice neighborhood. Small and a “walk-down” but in this climate, that means buffered from the heat of summer and the cold of winter. It left a hole in our well-ordered household and we’re all catching up from the change.

I expect the hot weather will continue putting a damper on my morning walk, which makes my mental health – not to mention my physical health – suffer. I’ll get it back together. Eventually.

I’m still planning on finishing this book. Eventually. Certainly before I try to write anything else.

For what it’s worth, I feel like I’m in a better place now. I just need that place to include a recalcitrant cat.

Until next month, safe voyage.

-N