Hey all! 2017 is over, and 2018 is here. A bit of looking back and forward is in order.
2017
At first glance 2017 felt like a mixed bag to me, but when I really look harder, I got quite a bit done, even though a lot of it was work that isn’t likely to bear fruit for some time. I posted on this site a lot less than I intended, and I do hope to rectify that in 2018. But, to sum up:
:: I published Amongst the Stars! It’s out now! The first act of the grand adventure that is The Song of Forgotten Stars is complete!
:: I finished a couple of rounds of edits on The Chilling Killing Wind, which I intend to publish sometime in the first half of 2018. I plan to make one more pass through the book soon just to make sure that I’ve got it all the way I want it.
:: I wrote probably one-half of a new science fiction novel tentatively titled Orion’s Huntress, which is set in the same universe as Forgotten Stars but which has nothing at all to do with that story. I ended up back-burnering that story when I realized that a few aspects of it were problematic in various ways that require additional thought. But I started it!
:: I started the first draft of Forgotten Stars IV, whose title is The Savior Worlds. This is my current WIP.
:: I also wrote a nice amount on Byzantium’s Shores, my personal blog. I summed up my favorite pieces from 2017 here, so check that out! There’s also the usual balloon juice on my Tumblr and if you look me up on Goodreads you can see all the stuff I read last year.
2018
So what’s up for the new year? Well!
:: Finishing the first draft of The Savior Worlds. I’m not sure how long I expect this to take, but I’m hoping to be done with it by May.
:: Releasing The Chilling Killing Wind into the world. This will launch a new series for me, about which I’m kind of excited. (OK, a lot excited!)
:: Returning to Orion’s Huntress, once I have a better idea of how it fits together.
:: And finally returning to Lighthouse Boy, the two-part fantasy novel whose first part is already drafted. I’m going to edit the first volume (lightly) and then proceed to drafting the second, before I then go back at some point (almost certainly not until the latter half of 2019) and edit the entire thing.
So that’s where the various writing projects stand for right now. There are also a couple of completed drafts in existence that I need to put through a round of edits (a sequel to Chilling Killing Wind, and a stand-alone supernatural thriller involving a kayaking expedition on a mystical river) which has no real title at this time, but we’re in no hurry.
I’m also doing some experimenting with my writing processes this year. Tinkering with process is something that a lot of writers enjoy (at least until they “make it”, or so it seems–successful writers never seem to be as fascinated with process as the aspiring writers are), and I’m trying some new things in an effort to cut down the time I spend in front of a glowing screen. I’ll report more on that as things develop.
As always, I hope to post more frequently in this space, but I’m not going to promise anything. Until then, see you around the galaxy!
