I always equate August with the heat of the summer. Around these parts July and September can be just as brutal. The origin of the phrase goes back to the Greeks and Romans. It references the period of the year when Sirius and the Sun rise and fall together. Their reasoning? The additional heat of the brightest star added to the heat of the sun.

I’ve heard less rational explanations of natural phenomenon lately, so who am I to judge.

Anyway, the news for August.

By the time you read this, I’ll have a manuscript ready for Finwell Bay (the book formerly known as Troy Harbor), Book 3 in the Shaman’s Tales. I still have a few pages to go but I’m inordinately pleased with the progress I’ve made this week. Time is getting really tight on this one and I still haven’t gotten the cover from Jesse.

Next up, Hostage, Book 1 of Barbarians. I’ve got a completed second draft back from my co-author (my daughter) and it’s just been waiting for me to add my notes to the draft and see if there’s anything else I want to change. She’ll be doing the cover for it. (Did I mention she’s also an artist?) I asked her to draw a map for us, too. It’s amazing. This one should go right into the editor after I get Finwell Bay back.

After that, I’ll have Dark Knight Station: Origins to deal with. I had an artist who was working up some sketches for a cover but I need to check in with him. I haven’t heard anything for a while. As I remember, that book shouldn’t take too much massaging to get into shape. I just need to watch the continuity. One of the advantages of hammering a book out in a matter of a few weeks is that I can keep the timeline more or less straight from the beginning.

What am I reading?

The last book I finished was the second book in Krista D. Ball’s Ladies Occult Society series–A Ghostly Request. If you liked the first book, you’ll like the second.

I’ve been reading a lot of stuff that I can’t recommend. Mostly samples of titles that failed to get me to the “Buy me” link at the end of the sample. Many failed in the first few pages. I’ve been disappointed, but I’m also aware that I’ve been hyper-critical lately. I may not be giving the books a fair shake in my current state of distraction.

That said, most of the Paranormal Women’s Fiction authors from earlier in the year have come out with new books in their various series. I’ve got several waiting for me in my TBR pile.

Looking Ahead

I need to start getting more words down. I think the next book will be either The Wizard’s Cat or the next Ishmael book. I’ve got a rough outline for each of them and a writing event coming up in mid-August where the goal is to write 25k words in 4 days. I’ll need a fresh story for that if I’m going to have any prayer of 6250 words a day over the course of a long weekend.

After too many weeks of letting things stew, I think I may be ready to push through the dog days and into fall and winter with a fresh spirit.

Wish me luck.

We’ve reached the end of the first half of 2020.

Progress report:

I’ve managed to get the completes pieces for Troy Harbor into Scrivener so I can claim an completed draft. It’s that stage of the jigsaw puzzle where you’ve got all the pieces face up on the table and you’re looking for the edge pieces. Along the way, I’ve discovered characters who shouldn’t be there, identified at least two characters who should be there but aren’t, and at least one scene that I used in Cape Grace that needs to be completely redone for the new context. I also discovered that the new story is a lot stronger than I thought.

Nothing else has changed. I’m still waiting on cover sketches. Podium is on track for audio in the fall. I still haven’t published the paperback for Butler.

On the positive side, I walked more in June than May, I’m still not sick, and I’m cautiously optimistic that I’ll have this title out by the end of the month.

It was a good half, all indications to the contrary notwithstanding. I published two books, wrote almost 300,000 words, and still have three novels in the pipeline for publication. Second quarter wasn’t that great but it might have been much worse.

So, fingers crossed that I maintain the status quo and move the process forward without falling into the machinery.

Well, April flew, anyway. It was not a great month here. First, the numbers.

Month:	43,932
Year:	269,758
WIP:	72,154
Streak:	508,988
Days:	200
Average:	2,542

I tried to write three thousand words a day. I cratered when I finished the draft for Troy Harbor. After six months of writing every day, I’ve had a few – ahem – minimal days. Technically, my streak is intact at 200 days because my average is over 2k a day. This is the first month since last October that I failed to reach my goal.

Status Updates:

After all that work, I’m feeling burned out. I’ve been having a bit of a stay-cation and avoiding the word processor to try to recharge. Sadly, that also means my planner with all the careful notes has gone MIA.

Shaman’s Tales Audio I’ve signed a deal with Podium to produce the Shaman’s Tales for Audible. Jeffrey Kafer will read them. I still have no dates on the releases.

Cape Grace Ebook and paper are both out. Audio will be coming from Podium.

The Wizard’s Butler Released on March 22. I sent out a notice to the list. As usual, the paperback is lagging but there’s no contagion problem with ebooks.

Barbarians: Book 1: Hostage – I finished my edits and passed the manuscript over to my co-writer. She’s still working through it.

Troy Harbor Yes, the last in the line of Shaman’s Tales. First draft done. Cover in the works.

Dark Knight Station: Origins First draft done. Will need a cover artist for this one.

What’s Next:

I’m struggling with this. I’ve started the next Ishmael book. I have a rough plot outline for the next Ishmael trilogy. I’m not happy with it. It feels too much like work.

I want to follow up on the Butler book and Tanyth is calling me.

Reminder: I’ve got plans for Ishmael and Pip, Zoya and Natalya. I’ll be getting back to them. Probably in 2020. I’m not sure what – exactly – they’re going to do, but I didn’t spend five years putting them together only to let them sail off into the Deep Dark.

I’ve been reading a lot of stuff. More Glynn Stewart. More of the Paranormal Women’s Fiction. More Krista D. Ball. I go through them really quickly these days—when I can pull myself out of Fallout 4.

Last Words

I’ve had a bit of a respite for the last couple of weeks. A flood of green on my progress calendar has a line of red x’s on it where I’ve just kind of drawn in on myself and let the world go for a few days.

I’m planning on getting back on the horse today and seeing how far I can ride before it bucks me off again.

In the meantime, stay safe, keep reading, and hug any of your loved ones within reach.