An Update In Brief
Where I've been and what I've been up to over the last week
This has been a slow week for me on the posting front. I don’t just mean this in terms of new uploads for my Stack or new posts on Notes, but in general. The Guilded and Discord servers I frequent have heard little from me, my Instagram page (yes, I know, but it was made years ago and still exists so I may as well use it to help plug my writing) has been quiet, and generally I’ve just been lurking in the shadows for much of the week where interaction is concerned. I’m still reading, still watching, still checking in, but I’ve done what I think we all ought to do from time to time and taken a little step back to focus on other things.
However, this isn’t to say I haven’t been keeping busy. Quite the contrary. Yes, I’ve taken a break from posting, but the writing has yet to stop. It’s just occurring behind the scenes for the moment as opposed to being presented out in full for your reading consumption. This isn’t to say the step back will be an extended one, either. I’ve got work that’s being prepared to come down the pipeline to you all very soon, possibly even tomorrow if things go well. Fret not, my friends, I shan’t be starving you out of fresh fiction!
Naturally, this leads to the following question: What have I been working on, and what can you expect to see upcoming?
I’m glad you asked! (Even if you didn’t.) I’ve got a couple big projects lined up which I’ve been working on, one of which is ongoing and the other being brand new. Let’s get into it.
The Castle on the Hill
My monthly serialized fantasy/mystery/adventure… let’s just call it a hodgepodge, saw a brief production snag earlier this month as I found myself suddenly and unexpectedly stuck in a debate on how to best progress the story. The general idea of where I want to take it is there, but the question of how best to get there roiled in my mind, and in some ways still does. Here’s what’s been going on behind my screen with this:
Chapter 4 is written and awaiting release as of earlier this week. The additional assets such as the “cover” art and stylized quote that
has been providing for me still await completion, but once those are ready the story will be set to go live. If all goes well, we’ll see Katrine and Paul return in time for the next Warrior Wednesday.A pivotal change is coming. Without spoiling, Chapter 4 represents a turning point in The Castle on the Hill, wherein the board of active players expands. The stakes are starting to rise, and as such the story’s scope has broadened somewhat. That said, the story is still very much Katrine’s and the bulk of its focus will remain on her. However, due to the expanding scope…
Detailed outlining for the story has begun. “Man, you absolute mad-lad! What do you mean it’s begun?! Are you saying you haven’t been outlining the story to this point?!” Yes. Yes I am. Now don’t work yourselves into a tizzy, this is very normal for my process. I’ve stated before that I’m not the type of writer who typically outlines unless I absolutely need to. Most of the time I’ll allow a story to take its course either with a set end point in mind, or while working to develop one. The Castle on the Hill is an example of the latter, and since it’s becoming a story that’s more complex than I initially thought it would be - those who read the first chapter may recall the initial intent was for it to be a one-off short story until I realized I had much more to tell there - the time has arrived for the detailed outlining process to begin in earnest.
Chapter 5 may see a delay. I want to stress this is by no means a guaranteed thing, but it is a distinct possibility. March is usually a month where business starts picking back up in my industry, leading to a very swingy day-to-day. This has the potential to start causing delays, something I’d ideally like to avoid but would be a fool not to at least acknowledge, especially as it pairs with the oncoming tax season and more than a little work on the house that’s needed to be done for some time.
The Jarl’s Son
This is the follow-up story to In the Giant’s Shadow, which is good news for those of you who are fans of my axe wielding warrior woman, Gaiur the Valdunite. I shared a preview snippet of the first chapter a few weeks ago on Notes, just a couple paragraphs taken from the opening scene. Progress had been slow since that point due to working on The Claws of the N’longu for Sword & Saturday, continuing work on The Castle on the Hill, and finishing up my back-to-front editing work on In the Giant’s Shadow. (More on that later.) Here’s the details:
Chapter 1 is finished and ready to be shared. However, ready though it is, I won’t be sharing it until next week at the earliest. Unlike In the Giant’s Shadow, where I maintained a breakneck pace of two chapters per week, I want to slow down and take my time with The Jarl’s Son. The first chapter alone has already proven that this is going to be a larger story than the previous one, and I want to make sure I’m not rushing it.
Chapter 2 is 50% complete. Building a backlog is part of the reason why I plan to keep the posting schedule for The Jarl’s Son slower than In the Giant’s Shadow’s was. Having fewer active projects that I need to immediately work on gives me more time to develop this novel the way I’d like to. Yes, you read that right. Unlike its predecessor, The Jarl’s Son is slated to be a short-medium length novel.
A more personal story. Gaiur’s last adventure was a brooding and character focused dark fantasy mystery, and while it focused quite a bit on who she was and what she’d been through before arriving in Jötungatt, the story itself was more about the mystery behind the town. I’m taking a different approach with The Jarl’s Son, presenting a story that’s going to develop higher personal stakes for Gaiur herself while frequently tugging at her personal sympathies.
Weekly uploads split into parts. I’m still not sure exactly when uploads will begin, but I do know two things for certain: once they start, they’ll come on a weekly basis; the chapters are shaping up to be about double the average length of In the Giant’s Shadow, so they’ll be posted in 2 parts as needed for the sake of easier readability.
In the Giant’s Shadow
This story just keeps coming back to us. Fortunately, I’ll be able to keep this one brief. With my initial editing sweeps done, In the Giant’s Shadow has finally entered the beta reading process. Thanks to the help of a couple trusted pairs of eyes, I’ll be making my final revisions to the manuscript over the coming weeks. Once that’s done, then the process of formatting (and commissioning cover art) for the physical copy of the book can begin in earnest. If all keeps tracking as well as it has been, we should have both physical and digital versions of the book available well before the year’s end!
And that should just about cover it. My focus going forward is primarily going to be set on writing or editing these three stories, though we’ll still have occasional forays into shorter, snappier works. In any case, keep your eyes open, dear readers! These new tales will be coming your way soon!
I am looking forward to all of it! Can't wait!