So it’s the beginning of June already, and it’s starting to feel like summer here in Iowa. Because it’s so flat, the sky stays light F O R E V E R, which is kind of neat. Lots more time to go on walks, which is where I work out plot points and other stuff.
In any case, Patriots in Retreat (my current WIP) is coming along well. It’s turning out to be shorter than I’d expected; there’s only three chapters left, and it’s not quite 20k words. Will probably come in between 3ok and 25k, making it one of the shorter Sons of the Starfarers books.
Middles are tough, even for short novels. I have no idea if this draft is going to turn out clean or not. But I am trying to cycle through as I write, to minimize the number of drafts I need to do. If I can master that technique, I can double or triple my production.
The Sword Keeper is just about finished, only a few more touch-ups before I send it out to my editor. Need to get back in touch with him. We’re definitely still on track for a release this fall, and I’m super excited because I think this is one of the best books I’ve written. Look out for a WIP excerpt later on this week.
There’s a couple of short stories I really want to write, but I’m so swamped with the other stuff that I don’t know when I’ll be able to get to it. I’m not behind (yet) on my current WIP, but I need to keep a steady pace of just under 3k words to meet my deadline, which is going to take some effort.
I haven’t started writing Gunslinger to the Galaxy yet (the sequel to Gunslinger to the Stars)… well, that’s not quite true, because I have written the first line:
My name is Jane Kletchka, and I’m here to set the record straight.
…but in any case, I’m starting to get a bunch of great ideas for that one. Will probably start working on it sometime this fall.
Publishing-wise, I’ve got a ton of stuff to work on but not enough time to juggle it. Most of the stuff falling by the wayside is marketing stuff, which isn’t good, but sales seem to have picked up in the last month so hopefully that isn’t too much of a problem. Still waiting for some reviews to roll in for Gunslinger.
Major items on my publishing to do list include:
- Write the author’s notes for “The Open Source Time Machine” single and short story bundle.
- Compile the metadata for “The Open Source Time Machine” single and short story bundle.
- Format and publish “The Open Source Time Machine” single and bundle.
- Send The Sword Keeper to Josh Leavitt for editing.
- Write the book description for The Sword Keeper.
- Find a cover artist for The Sword Keeper.
- Rewrite all short story descriptions.
- Make a new cover for A Hill On Which To Die.
- Upload all books to DriveThruFiction.
Not a small list—and that doesn’t include all the maintenance-type stuff!
So that’s the big challenge: making time for all of this while working the day job. It’s only 5-6 hours a day, but it adds up. I am saving money, though. My goal is to turn around at least $100 from my writing profits each month into investments. It would be really cool to start investing in space technologies, and the research for that could tie into my writing projects very well. Virtuous cycle and all that good stuff.
That’s what I’m up to these days. Peace, love, and penguins y’all. Thanks for reading!
