February Updates

This month I’m going to be keep my update post as short as possible, and this is owing to the multitude of other obligations I’ve got at the moment.

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In addition to all the standard stuff (work, family, car troubles, home ownership, and so much more), I’m currently trying to prepare for my first live event as an author. Yes, I’m very excited—and also feeling vulnerable and nervous. My local library, the Orrville Public Library, is hosting a Local Author Meet and Greet on Saturday, March 19th, and by the grace of an incredibly generous and thoughtful neighbor who used to work there, I was invited to join the event. Small as it might be, I’m still feeling plenty of emotions as it means stepping into the public more and sharing with those in my rather small community that I’m an author. I’ve done plenty of sharing in that regard online with people who live states—or even countries—away from me, but it’s a somewhat different feeling (and not necessarily a bad one, either) to establish yourself as a “local” author, especially when you live in a city as tight-knit and community-focused as Orrville, Ohio. Anyway, I’m positive it will be a wonderful learning experience. On one of next month’s blog posts, I’ll surely discuss the event at length.

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I’m also putting the finishing touches on future blog content and wrapping up some prerequisite writing that will enable me to, hopefully, move forward with remarkable ease as I tackle the project I announced last month, (The Traveling Academy of Astra or TTAOA). To clarify about this last part, I went ahead and took the approach of (almost) fully writing the ending of the Astra series. I’ve written around 15,000 words and four full chapters that will appear mostly as they are now in the fourth and final installment of the Astra books. As I was working through the first draft of TTAOA, I realized that far too much was buried in its backstory, and that I’d need to address and intimately understand that backstory to adequately forge ahead in the story’s present. Writing the ending makes it possible for me to (again, almost) easily sprinkle in bits of foreshadowing throughout the series as I progress. Unfortunately, taking this approach has also had the effect of stunting my progress on the current books I’ve committed to.

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Still, I count 15,000 words as a major win, especially considering how little time I’ve managed to devote to writing lately. As of now, my audacious goals haven’t changed. I still plan to tackle The Traveling Academy of Astra, The Shroud of Sleep, and then The Gatherers and the Sairad From the Sand in that order, and hopefully—willfully—before the year’s end.

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That’s all for this week, aside from the other content for the month. Please be sure to comment on this blog (past posts, new posts, and even posts you disagree with). Take a look at this month’s other entries and offer your thoughts. I genuinely love engaging with all of you in the comments here!

 

Thank you so much for reading. Stay safe and warm.