Seems like it has been forever but finally, finally, finally, things have started coming together again in ways they haven’t for – literally – years.

Status

The Wizard’s Cat
I got the manuscript off to my editor yesterday. I need to see if I can get a cover for it while she works her magic. It’s not going to happen immediately, but I’m expecting this book will hit the store before year end.

Everything Else
I still plan to write some more stories with Ishmael and company. The Tanyth Fairport audio is a mess and I’m going to need help sorting it out. I’m peeved that my take-down request did not happen and people have managed to get books 1 and 3 but can’t get 2. I don’t expect to get back to that fiasco this year, but the year is already winding down.

What Am I Reading?

I read so many samples this month. That’s not really a good thing. It means I didn’t find too much that grabbed me. It happens. A couple of bright spots in the SF realm, Ken Lozito’s Genesis (First Colony, Book 1) set the stage for an interesting colonization tale. Quite engaging but didn’t push me immediately to book 2.

Noah Chinn’s Lost Souls, Book 1 in his Get Lost series, however, did. I had to look past the title listing on Amazon but I didn’t really see much of it to begin with. The sample grabbed my by the nose and pulled me along. Yes, there’s some humor in it. A few running gags. But what got me was the world building, a main character who wanted to be a pirate but kept doing good things, and a cast of supporting actors that made me want to keep reading. I’m almost done with book 3 and I’ll be sorry to see it end.

But, as ever, don’t take my word for it. Grab a sample and check it out for yourself. For the Future!

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

For the first time in a very long time, I have a book in production. It will be frustrating, as it almost always is. There will be delays. There always are.

But the key point is that the story is drafted, for better or worse. The heavy lifting is done. All that’s left are the mechanics of getting up for sale.

I don’t know how to adequately describe the sense of relief.

The new “two out of three days” of walking held through September, even on rainy days. I got a second 40 mile month out of it. I look forward to October and a much needed break from wrestling with characters and stories.

Which isn’t to say I’m not already thinking of the next book. There will be one, because I’m not ready to hang up my keyboard just yet. I’m just trying not to think too far ahead. I need a break desperately.

One where I’m not recovering from some malady or other. Where I’m not fighting the frustration of a story that just won’t come together.

Sure, I’ve got the mechanics of publication going on in the background but compared to everything else that’s happened in the last four years? Yeah, I’ve got room to breathe again.

And I’m going to take some time to enjoy October before firing up the word processor again.

Until next month, I’ll keep you posted.

Safe voyage.

We’ve moved into summer, officially. The period where we celebrate days when the temp only reaches 90F. Yet there’s some encouraging news this month.

Status

The Wizards Cat
The sprints didn’t last long, but something else happened. I just started writing spontaneously. Keeping the file open on the desktop. Yesterday I wrote for about an hour before I realized what I was doing. Felt good. Natural. Like maybe … no. I won’t jinx it.

Everything Else
Still on hold. I’ve had glimmers of Ishmael and Zoya stories peeking out around the edges. It will be good to get back together with them eventually.

What Am I Reading?

The most significant reading has been Paul Loomans’s I’ve Got Time. It’s not a book I’d recommend for entertainment but it has really helped me rebuilding my practice. It’s working (as evidenced by the recent writing) but it will take some (pardon the expression) time.

Book of the month? I spent a lot of time with Cássio Ferreira’s Hidden Class: Handyman series. It hit all the right buttons for me with a doofus turning his life around by playing in virtual reality. Fun, occasionally funny. A bit silly at times but I enjoyed the first three volumes.

It might not be your cup of joe, but maybe grab a sample and give it a try. You might like it.

About the Newsletter
I’m still publishing it on the 15th of the month. You don’t need to subscribe to get a mid-month update from me. You can find them archived on my newsletter’s public page at Kit.

Looking Forward

Reading the Loomans book has helped me re-organize my daily routine by making it less about “getting things done” and more about “letting things happen.” Like the writing. Letting it happen instead of making a production of it.

I might have been over-thinking it. Trying to hard to make it happen. Loomans has me rethinking the way I organize everything. I’ve shuffled my morning around to minimize the distractions. Making the first couple of hours of the day flow comfortably instead of rushing, pushing to get things done as soon as possible so I can do whatever. The things I want to get done, get done. I still have my checklist but it’s a safety belt against ADHD instead of a rigid set of commands.

I feel like I can breathe again after much too long.

Will it work for awhile? Probably. I’m still working through the 7 lessons.

Will it last? Time will tell.

Until next month, crew, safe voyage.

– N

May didn’t go well, in spite of a reasonably good start. Too much going on beyond my control.

Status

The Wizards Cat
I’ve started word sprints again. They’re one of the best tools I have for getting things flowing. Mostly in fits and starts but it’s more start than fit. Fingers crossed for the rest of the month

Everything Else
Still virtually frozen in storage. I have no idea what project I’ll take on after this Cat starts prowling, but everything will be on the table again.

What Am I Reading?

I stumbled on some early Michael Chatfield a couple of weeks ago. His Emerilia series whet my appetite for litRPG after getting started with Matt Dinniman’s Dominion of Blades. I’ve been through a couple of his other litRPG series but finding an early space opera made my month.

The Recruitment Rise of the Free Fleet, book 1 of the Free Fleet series, starts when Earth gets invaded by alien slavers, capturing our hero, James Cook and his merry band of top tier video gamers on the cusp of their championship game. The story and universe unfolds, step by step, as Cook and his fellow slaves become trained up as cannon fodder for their captors, a group calling themselves the Planetary Defense Force.

This series is straight up Big Guns and Bigger Ships military/space opera in a sprawling universe. Much war. Many set backs. Ships cracked, broken, boarded, and exploded.

If you can handle the warfare, you might like this series as much as I do.

Maybe grab a sample and see what you think.

About the Newsletter
I’m still publishing it on the 15th of the month. You don’t need to subscribe to get a mid-month update from me. You can find them archived on my newsletter’s public page at Kit.

Looking Forward

Slow progress is still progress. I keep looking for that spark that has me fighting to get back to the keyboard and push the story ahead. So far, each spark has fizzled. I’m still writing something every day. Sometimes not much more than a few hundred words but they count. The word sprints show improvement, albeit irregular, but I’ll take it.

I’m my own biggest obstacle these days, but with some help from my friends and the support of people like you, I think there might still be a chance I can finish this book before I kick the bucket.

Fingers crossed.

Until next month, safe voyage.

-N