I write books about spaceships, samurai, and alternate worlds. And I like coffee. And cats.
A long-delayed author update
Published 8 days ago • 4 min read
tl;dr
(too long; didn't read)
There is so much to talk about, so we aren't going to dilly-dally. If you haven't got time to read the whole thing, this is the nutshell version:
Apologies for disappearing; busy, brutal kind of year, but I'm back and will be sending out regular posts that have book news, events that I'm attending, and fun stuff. Also there's a poll I need your help with.
NAME MY NEWSLETTER
I'm working on a new newsletter design, and I want to name it something fun and cozy--probably based on squirrels since I have so many of them. But I thought it might be fun to get you guys to weigh in on what this newsletter should be called. So what do you think? You can reply to this newsletter with your favorite choice from the list below OR you can send me what you think I should call it!
There is always some kind of news happening on the book front, although there isn't as much going on right now as you might expect after so so long between updates.
The biggest news is that I was able to pitch my cozy sci-fi novel, affectionally called "Space Grannies," to an agent in June. As of right now, I am still waiting for a response. Technically, I could email her and ask about its progress, but I am choosing to be patient and wait for her to contact me.
In the mean time, I spent a good chunk of time last year and at the beginning of this year writing a large series of origin stories for my samurai superheroes. There are six individual short novels, which make up one large project that I'm calling FIVE WARRIORS. I have been releasing the raw chapters every Wednesday to paid subscribers of my Substack. If that's something you're interested in reading, you can sign up below (it's only $5/month and you get weekly devotions every Monday too).
Current Projects
I had the choice of projects to work on after I finished Space Grannies. The one I expected to start working on was a cozy fantasy, code named "Enchanted Llamas." I'm still going to work on it, but I felt very strongly about going a different directon.
For those of you who have been subscribed for a long time, you will recall the fiasco with the book formerly called Meg Mitchell and the Secret of the Journal. I will rehash that whole thing again one of these days, as a cautionary tale if nothing else. But I am finally in a place where I can go back and start working on re-re-re-releasing that book. For any of you who have read Ronnie Akkard and the Brotherhood of Blades and wondered what happened BEFORE, this is what happened before.
I am nearing completion on my developmental materials, and I hope to start drafting the new version of Meg's story very soon. (For those of you who are paid subscribers on Substack, you'll get first access to the raw chapters.)
Additionally, I am looking at pursuing a new paperback format for my superhero books. This is still very much in the research phase right now, but I have long been interested in the Light Novel formats that are very popular in Japan. They are smaller, more episodic in nature, and easier to produce--plus they always feature artwork. I am currently looking into what it would take to shift my production processes for all my Mazzaroth books to follow this format instead, and with that in mind, I may be looking at launching a Kickstarter for the release of FIVE WARRIORS.
I'll keep you in the loop!
Upcoming Events
Since we are racing toward the end of the year, and autumn is always super busy for me, I don't have any big out-of-town events planned. At the moment, I all that is on my calendar is a Wichita Brewery Crawl on Black Friday. Those details are still forthcoming, but if you're looking for Christmas presents and you're in the Wichita area, make a note for Black Friday. I'll be out selling books somewhere in the city!
For 2027 events, I am still gathering more information and making decisions, but I'll share about where I'll be when as soon as I have solidified my calendar.
A COWBOY FOR CHRISTMAS
I know. It's only September, but if the grocery stores can have Christmas stuff out, so can I! I wrote this book on a dare. It's a sweet, wholesome Hallmark-style Christmas story about a British dog walker who gets stranded in a Montana blizzard and meets a grumpy cowboy, a cute child, and a horse. So I'm ticking all the boxes. If that sounds like something that floats your boat, you can find this fun book for sale at several retailers.
If you haven't joined my All The Stories Substack yet, you can do that here. You can choose either a FREE or a PAID ($5/month) account. Free accounts receive author updates and access to Always Peachy Devotions from the archive. Paid accounts receive new Always Peachy Daily Devotions every Monday, a new chapter of my current WIP every Wednesday, and special announcements every Friday.
