Whew, child! It is mid-March and I feel like I have nothing to show for it, which is so far from the truth, but I'm sure some of y'all know how it is. It looks like we might get a quote, un-quote, "normal" spring and summer this year, but we shall see. I'm headed to my first con since September 2019. It's just for a day. I want to see how everything is being handled by the coordinator of these events. If me and my apprehension feel okay with it, I might be headed to Tampa for QFX in May. I hate how everything is contingent on what this virus is going to do, but I'm going to do everything to protect myself, and try to enjoy life as best as I can.
All righty, let's get into some WIPs. This is what I'm talking about when I feel like I have done nothing, but I've done a lot. A lot of it stems from the fact that I haven't published anything since 2018. I know authors have gone longer than that without publishing anything, but I'm not used to it. Whether it was fanfiction or releasing a book, I've been putting out content since 2014. I did post a one-shot to one of my Swan Queen fics in 2020, so that was something. I know, I'm rambling, but you've read this far, so let's continue on.
I was considering my writing/editing schedule for the foreseeable future, and it's looking like I won't be releasing anything in 2022, which is annoying and frustrating, but I'm trying to be kinder to myself about this fact. I've come to this conclusion because of my current timeline. Right now, I'm aiming to finish the second book in the Detective Miller, currently titled Grisly Politics, series by the end of March. Once I complete that, I'm going to put it aside and do an editing blitz (okay, not blitz but there will be a ton of editing) on my new novella series and The Adventures of Swift. Then once I've edited those, they'll go to my editor (if she'll still work with me), and while she's working on those, I'll bounce back to Grisly Politics. I'm not sure how editing those three works will go because they might go through a few rounds of editing or a crap ton. It's delicate act, so this is leading me to believe nothing will come out in 2022.
Silver lining to all this, is that it will be the beginning of me having a backlog of work I can release consistently if I chose to do so. I like this because it will give me some breathing room. While I find it frustrating that nothing is coming out this year, I'm keyed up for having works in the chamber. It will give me time to play with ideas I've written down (such as the Dracula one I'm playing around with or my small-town romance. I'm determined to write a sappy romance book, dammit!), and will inevitably lead to me having more finished stories piled up that will just need to be edited, which is the goal.
I know some of you are wondering, "But, DJ, what about the second Avery Lawson book you've been talking about for what feels like a decade?" *insert the 'It's been 84 years' titanic GIF here* I'm putting this out there so it will manifest for all of us who are invested and involved with this series, 2023 WILL BE THE YEAR FATE UNSEEN A.K.A THE SECOND BOOK OF THE LAST PUREBLOOD SERIES!
Sorry for the excessive formatting on that last sentence, but I'm really trying to get that book out for numerous reasons. First being, we've all be waiting for it. For like eons. I finished the first draft, edited it, sent it to my editor, and then shit fell off once I got it back. I blame the pandemic and probably my depression. There are probably other factors too, but I'm not sure what they are. If you go back into my blog, I'm sure I list some of them. The next reason is that I'm excited to start the third book. I know, I've should have been started it, but I needed a werewolf break. Now, I'm ready to get back into it, and now that I'm thinking about it, I'm going to start outlining the third book. Yay, me! That seems to have given me a new reason to stock up on notebooks.
I can't say when the second Last Pureblood book will be released, but it will be in 2023, so keep watch of my website and newsletter because I'm sure I'm going to announce it everywhere possible. Monthly supporters will get access to the first two chapters through my website which will be a lot since we all know I don't do short chapters unless I have to. If you want too have access to the book a lot sooner, I recommend signing up to be a Beta Reader.
Since I mentioned my newsletter, I'm going to remind everyone that if you were signed up for it, please sign up for it again. I did some radical housekeeping with my subscriber list and deleted everyone. Probably should have done an email, but since it felt like most of my subscribers were from BookFunnel giveaways, I wanted to start fresh. While I'll keep making announcements through my blog and Twitter, I'll also send some through my newsletter, thinking about interviewing some people for it, and just expanding it to some of my deeper thoughts and ideas. Go sign up for it so you don't miss out.
Had a sale through my site in March. I'm thinking about doing an end of Summer sale in August since the Smashwords Summer/Winter sale is in July. I think. They just merged with Draft2Digital, so it might have moved. Either way, there will be another sale through my website and one through Smashwords, so check the website for dates. Also might have a flash sale for book release anniversaries.
Okay, I think that is all I have for today. Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter, think about becoming a monthly supporter, and don't forget to review the books you read especially those indie and self-published ones.
Until next time....
-DJ Small
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