Reflections and exciting announcements!

Overview

It’s been a month of mixed emotions. First, the BIG NEWS! The Genesis Project will be released on June 11, 2024 at all major retailers. Buy The Genesis Project on Pre-order (before June 11th).

Many people have already received signed copies of the book through the Kickstarter. More books are on the way and the Kickstarter should be fulfilled before the official release date.

I finished a novella and two short stories and am quite far into a second novella for the Genesis Project collection. Also heavy into editing The Collective and preparing the artwork for Kickstarter. I recently decided my truck needed replacing and found a great deal in my hometown on a van, so I drove down to purchase it. In driving time and mental energy, I seem to have lost several days of writing and editing productivity.

Rock climbing continues to be a no-go. My shoulder is a very slow heal. I’m told I have a torn labrum and am on the waiting list for an MRI to find out how bad and if intervention is needed. I have noticed it’s slowly getting better – but it’s very slow.

Plenty of dogs this month. Check them out below!

Writing Status

I’ve realized that insanely busy is my normal. And taking a day off is more stressful than working through the insanity. With my goal to become a full-time author, putting out more books has never been more important. Sometimes that level of pressure can be overwhelming, and impact my day. If I get everything done and have a few minutes at the end of the day, great! More often, I’m working up until bed time to get it all done, or falling short and leaving additional work for the following day. While I love the creative process, it still takes a lot of energy.

The more I build characters, the more I find myself stopping to consider that someone’s bad driving, outburst in the grocery store, etc. might make them seem like an undesirable personality, but I try to remember that I have no idea what they’ve been through. Maybe they just lost someone they care about. Or their job. I use those moments to imagine what they might be going through and sometimes build characters around it.

Writing: One novella complete, two short stories and half way through another Novella, all for the Genesis Project Short Story Collection. Once the second novella is complete, I’ll be going through the initial editing phases for all the stories and building from there. If you’re on my newsletter, you should have received an early version of one of the short stories. I’m hearing good things!

Editing: I’m still working on the edits for The Collective. They will likely be done early in June and sent to the editor for another copy edit.

Marketing: Came out strong in early May, but a lot of things happened that took priority. I’m hoping to get back into the rhythm of it and keep honing in on an audience. Got ideas? Send them my way.

Books on the Go

The Genesis Project:
Manuscript: The short story collection is doing well. One novella complete (first draft), one at 25% and two short stories complete. It’s been a lot of fun exploring these characters.
Publication: The pre-sale for the book is live! The book launches June 11th.

Armageddon’s Descendants – Book 1: The Collective
Manuscript: Editing the next draft. About 60% of the way through with all the additions. I’ve added roughly 3000 words so far, bringing it up closer to the length of the Genesis Project.

Knights of Truipis:
Manuscript: The first draft is completed. I’ll go back to this one likely in 2025.

Date of Death:
Manuscript: The first draft is complete at just over 104,000 words! It’s in the cue for 2025.

May Update for Dogs!