As I am notoriously bad at updating this blog (at least, in my own mind), I thought this would be a good time to catch up and let everyone know what I’ve been up to.
Work on Zack Jackson & The Hives of Valtra progresses. I have started the revisions on my first draft and hope to have a second draft ready for Beta Readers by the end of the month. I tackle some pretty heavy issues in this book, and I want to make sure I treat them with the gravity and respect they deserve. However, it also needs to be accessible to my target audience, so it’s important that I get it right.
The anthology in which my Seven Galaxies space fantasy story, “Forgotten Dreams” debuts has gone to the printer. I don’t have any details yet on when Sojourn will be available for purchase, but I will be sure to announce it when I have that information. There’s a great lineup of authors in the book, and I’m very pleased and honored to be among them. Already there are whispers of a second volume for which we are all once again invited to write stories. I will certainly do so.
I may write another Seven Galaxies short story, even if another anthology doesn’t present opportunities this year. Eventually, I would like to write a series of novels in that setting, but I’m still fleshing it out and I’m not quite ready for that. I keep telling myself I’ll get back to my steampunk-horror-western story, too. I think about that story a lot. Writing is 50% mental, right?
I am also working on another world of Calliome novel. I mentioned earlier that I went back to the well of Pancras and the Drak twins, Kale & Delilah, and I have been dabbling with the plot and writing. What I have in my mind might be enough for a series, possibly a trilogy, but I don’t want to commit to that right now. I’m barely 20,000 words into it, but based on where I want the story to go, I have only just begun.
In addition to all this writing, I will be giving a lecture at a local school for a class of 7th graders next month. At least some of them (and their teacher, as well) have been introduced to my Zack Jackson novels, and the school wants me to come and talk to the class about writing. It will be an interesting experience as it is like nothing I have ever done before.