For lack of a snappy title: August 2024 Update

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'ello, my friends. August has been a month of more fine-tuning and little new writing. It has been a busy work month with a travel week to Arizona, which often means a lost week for me writing-wise. And a vacation week in Colorado, which actually helped me write new material. However, there has been a ton of stuff going through my head that I want to put down for you to digest.

The month started with me on vacation in Colorado, where most of my writing occurred this month. During the first few days of vacation, I had a solitary writing retreat in the mountains of Colorado, and I worked on The Nights of the Purple Sky in a concentrated and focused manner. I knocked out two complete chapters. Then, I almost died of heat exhaustion and/or altitude sickness on an 80-mile mountain bike-packing trip. I must remember that I’m closer to sixty than fifty when I agree to these things.

Most of my productive work this month went on polishing up The Immortal of the Saltless Sea to get it out to potential fantasy magazines. I am very happy with this piece, and those who have read it agree. I plan to send that out to Clarkesworld in early September and should know if they want it soon. If they don’t, I’ve a plan B and C. If nobody buys it for their magazine, I’ll self-publish it and make it available to buy on Amazon in 2025 (this will happen in all likelyhood, regardless if I get it published).  I’ve engaged a cover artist who will work on it in January. All of the magazines I’m shopping it only to claim first publication rights, which means I’ll have to wait a while before selling it myself. But, one way or the other, it will (most likely) be available on my website by year-end 2025 at the latest.

The Nights of the Purple Sky has hit a stalling spot. I know where the story needs to go, but I don’t know how to get it there. I’m also struggling with a big decision. I want to make this story darker, grittier, and maybe a little more “Dark Batman” or even “Deadpool” rating levels in my writing. I want to show Kanyin as a morally upright, straight-arrow type of guy, but if everyone he runs into is in the G-PG space, it doesn’t highlight his “good guy” nature. I’m also getting some feedback from my in-person critique group that I should go that way, which will make my online critique group a bit uncomfortable.

Speaking of Nights of the Purple Sky, I entered it into the Realmmakers Aurora contest this month. It is a contest for aspiring and yet to be published authors. I entered last year and didn’t make it out of the first round. I hope to do a bit better this year.

This month, I’ve picked a name for my author publishing company. I don’t think this is needed, but I am going to call it Sword and Compass Books, which matches my logo. I am beginning to put together my team for when I start to go all in on this business side and will be looking for “teammates” to help make that be as successful as possible. I’ll be looking for all sorts of roles from “social media” administrators, launch team members, ARC (prepublish readers) who will write reviews on Amazon, BookBub, and GoodReads. I’m looking for people who can help spread my name on Social Media, those with a following in fantasy or who are active on fantasy pages to post news about my books. There is room for those who want to be involved a little and those who want to be in the inner circle. The first step is to read posts, like posts, comment on posts (even a two-word Love It! Or Good Job! Helps), and share my posts on social media. The next step will be signing up for my mailing list, which will be up in the next few weeks. In exchange for your name, I will give you my short story, which I hope to sell when I’m able.