Herman P. Hunter's Blog: Herman P. Hunter's THE LORE FORGE, page 7

Status Update - January, 2022

Well...The Revenant and the Tomb is available for preorders. Finally.

The Free Promotion

The promotion is now over. The Promo menu item will remain up for another week, in the event you haven't finished the book, or haven't downloaded the PDF.

I hope you enjoyed / are enjoying the story.

The Revenant and the Tomb

Unfortunately, I released the eBook BEFORE the paperback. That was because I got a little click-happy setting up the eBook. Plus, there was some miscommunication (meaning, I didn't fully read an e-mail) with the people doing the formatting and the cover. So, it'll be a few more days before I can upload everything to the printer.

I also want to do a hardback version. But for now, I'm starting with the paperback.

The eBook stuff was straightforward. The print version is a little more muddled. I can see right now, this is going to be yet another learning experience.

The launch is scheduled for March 3rd, 2022. I'm excited and terrified all at the same time. Excited because, after years of writing, something is actually hitting the bookshelves. I'm terrified because...something is actually hitting the bookshelves. Will the reviews be good, or will they be brutal? We shall soon see...

The links to where you can find my book can be found on the main page of my website.

The "O" Book

The phrase, "I'm a couple of chapters away from being done," is getting mighty old. However...I'm a couple of chapters away from being done. I suspect that by the time The Revenant and the Tomb is released, the manuscript will be complete, and I'll be putting it on ice again for another month (see my video on the 21 steps to self-publishing) before revising.

Now that the end is near, I'm starting to have a renewed appreciation for the story, which is strange considering that I wrote it. Theoretically, I should appreciate it from the start. It's a solid story, will probably clock in at around 60,000 words, and has quite a bit of depth to it. The only problem, really, is that I need to really focus more on the main character, his thoughts, and his feelings. This is something notably missing from the earlier chapters. But now that I have a good feel for him, it'll make revising stuff much easier.

The next goal is to have the revisions done by the beginning of June. At the latest, July. My wife is off from school and has time to read through the manuscript. Hopefully, my other beta reader will be available as well. I think she'd really appreciate this story.

The main character is of Cathar extraction, meaning that he his dark-skinned, and has curly hair, though his true heritage is somewhat of a mystery. In my literary world, Cathars are a barbaric race that is totally given over to the worship of The Four (something that I will go into more detail on in an essay). They are dark skinned, and are known to paint themselves in bright colors, especially in battle.

In an era prior to when the story takes place, there was a schism among the Cathars. The source of this division was a conversion of many to the worship of a singular God (often referred to as "The Allfather" by many in the books). This cumulated in a war in which a large proportion of the population - forever known as "Oncathars" - fled their ancestral home. Many settled in foreign lands, establishing communities of their own. Another large segment fled across the Sorrowing Sea, eventually settling on the islands strewn across this large body of water. To which group the main character belongs is unknown (this is explained in the book).

The main character isn't the only individual of Cathar ancestry in my writings. I have several, the Prophet Jalamil being one. Jalamil is involved in Halsedric's backstory, and plays an important role with the downfall of a tyrant known as The Prophetess. His writings are also very influential to later generations. Likewise, Halsedric also has some Cathar heritage in his family tree, though it is not mentioned in The Revenant and the Tomb. Much of this is illustrated in the original attempt at the novella and may be something I publish at a later date.

I will undoubtedly provide more details and history of the Cathars, the Oncathars, and the legacy of their schism at a later time.

Video Content

Yes. As if my blog posts weren't enough, I've started to make videos.

YouTube has a community of authors - known as #authortube - whose content ranges from vlogs to writing advice videos. I've started developing content for this community, though I'm going about it a different way. Many videos posted in the #authortube community range anywhere from ten to thirty minutes (or longer). Most videos revolve around authors talking about themselves or their writing projects. And there are quite a few in the community creating "advice" videos, most of them regurgitating the same information as previous videos.

I've decided to take a different tack. I try to limit my videos to five minutes. I generally talk about my book, or my literary world. And my "advice" videos? Well, let's just say there's a hefty amount of tongue lodged in that cheek.

(I just read that last line again. Ew.)

Anyhow, please check out my channel if you're so inclined. I also have a "mirror" site on Rumble that (ideally) contains the same content.

I honestly enjoy making some of the videos, even though it is a time- and resource-consuming process. As you can probably tell by now, I have a singular sense of humor. Why my books tend to be pretty serious, I often indulge my inner court jester from time to time. Making these videos is an outlet for that side of my personality.

I release a new video once a week on Thursday.

Other Things

I'm commissioning some artwork that I'll use for social media banners, business cards, and bookmarks. More details on that soon.

There (supposedly) will be an art contest on the day of my book release - Drawn and Quartered Fan Edition - where contestants will be drawing characters and monsters from The Revenant and the Tomb. Perhaps I might provide some descriptions of people, places, and things for my current work in progress. Who knows...

Once the "O" book is complete, I will be focusing on providing some content for my Locals channel. This will be available for a monthly subscription. I have about 4 short stories in the works, not to mention a bunch of chapters from the book I abandoned before The Revenant and the Tomb, which provides some backstory on the origins of Halsedric and how he came to be. I have also fleshed out some essays on a few of the cultures that inhabit my world: the Cathars the Oncathars (mentioned above), the Hakan, and the Nolans.

Anyhow, that's it for now.

Free Promotional PDF - The Revenant and the Tomb

The free promotion begins NOW!

You want a copy of The Revenant and the Tomb? You can get one! And the only cost to you is your e-mail address.

How does it work?

New SubscribersStep #1

Subscribe to my newsletter.

Step #2

You will be sent an automated e-mail with a password that will allow you to access the Promo page of my site.

Step #3

Go to the Promo page, and enter in the password.

Step #4

View, download, or even print the PDF of the book. (Mobile users will only be provided a button to download the PDF to their device. Sorry about that.)

Current Subscribers

You will receive an e-mail informing you of the promotion, with the password attached. Merely go to the Promo page, and enter in the password.

Rules The Promotion will only run from 1/17/2022 through 1/29/2022 . If you subscribe after 1/29/2022, you will not receive the password. The Promo link will remain active until 2/5/2022, after which the link will be removed from my site. Make sure you either read or download the PDF before 2/5/2022 .

The book will be available in paperback, and most eBook formats starting March 3rd, 2022. When the time comes, I'll post a list where you cab pre-order or buy the eBook or paperback.

The 21 Steps to Self-Publishing a Book

Here is a little summation of the various tasks that need to be done in order to successfully self-publish a book.

There are a few subtle hints in there that might escape your notice if you aren't properly paying attention...

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/5b7182_f9b4fcce3b774576b7aa55f0240ffb19/720p/mp4/file.mp4

The Revenant and the Tomb - Sample Chapter

Here is a video of Chapter 1 of The Revenant and the Tomb, narrated by AlphaProto.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/5b7182_eef67554955848d0a771a60ade66ea33/720p/mp4/file.mp4

Cover Reveal and Release Date - The Revenant and the Tomb.

Well, things are really moving along. So I thought I'd update everyone on what's going on with The Revenant and the Tomb.

The Launch

I have the manuscript out being formatted at present. My hope was to release the book January 2022, however, after careful consideration, I'm pushing that back. The tentative date is now March 3rd, 2022. That's when - theoretically - the books will be available in the stores (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and so on). I really wanted to get this out before January, but it takes 14 days before I get the formatted books back. This means, at best, I could release the end of January, beginning of February. Before then I need to secure ISBN numbers, and I also need to purchase a fair amount of copies for ARCs. This costs money, and pushing off the release allows me to juggle purchasing this stuff while keeping my family in the black, financially. Doing a semi-professional job doesn't come cheap.

The second reason has to do with promoting the book.

The Promotion

A pushback on launch allows me to run the promotion I promised: offering a free PDF of The Revenant and the Tomb for anyone who subscribes to my mailing list. I didn't want people buying the book, liking it, only to discover that they could have gotten it for free simply by signing up for my mailing list. Pushing the release off until March gives me the time to run a two-week or even a month's promotional period. I've yet to decide on the time period.

Here's how it will work: You subscribe to my website, and when you do you'll receive an email that contains a password that can be used to access a special "Promo" menu. Enter in the password, and you will have access to the PDF via a PDF viewer built into my website. This will ONLY be available when accessing my site from a PC. From there you can either read the book, or download the PDF, and read it later. Downloading and reading it later is highly recommended.

For mobile users, the process will be the same, however, you will only be given a button to download the PDF to your device. In testing this feature, I discovered early on that the PDF viewer controls available to me did not work well from phones and tablets. So, I will only allow a download.

Once the promotion is over, the Promo menu and password will still be active for another two weeks, allowing you to download your PDF or finish reading it directly from the site. After that, I will shut off access completely.

Secondly, I have paid to have someone read the first chapter of the book, and will be releasing this as a video on my YouTube, Rumble, and Locals channels. This will be available sometime the first week of January 2022.

The Cover Reveal

Finally, after several weeks of work, I have a cover for my novella, courtesy of EBookLaunch.com:

("Ohhhs" and "ahhhs" are appreciated at this point)

I wanted something different from the standard book covers - something that hinted at some of the details of the book, but didn't recreate a scene. Lo and behold, the artists at EBook Launch did a fantastic job, in my opinion. All I needed was a couple of tweaks, and it was done.

So, that's it with this update. Keep a sharp eye out for future announcements on The Revenant and the Tomb.

Status Update - December, 2021

Things are heating up!

The Revenant and the Tomb

As I type this, the manuscript has just been returned from the editor, the edits have been applied, and the manuscript has been handed off to my wife for a last readthrough. Once I get the receipts from the Copyright Office, it opens the doors for me to go into full promotion mode.

Promotion? Yep. I contracted a voice actor, and had the first chapter narrated. The video is compiled, uploaded to YouTube, and waiting to be released. Before that happens, I want the receipts from the copyright office.

After that it's off to formatting, and then another go-around with the book cover. Then? Release time!!!

The "O" Book

At present, I'm stalled on Chapter 21, but I'm not worried. I'm putting development on this aside while I work on a few side projects. While this may sound like I'm repeating the same mistake I made when I stopped this very same book to write The Revenant and the Tomb, realize that I'm still actually picking away at finishing it. I'm about two or three chapters out from completion, and I'm not all that worried it won't get done in a timely manner. I'm on track to have it finished well before my self-imposed end-of-January deadline.

After that, I put the manuscript aside and let it "rest," before I go in and start hacking away with revisions.

Short Stories and Background Chapters

The reason why I've put the "O" book on hold is because I'm working on two "short stories," for lack of a better term, based off of The Revenant and the Tomb. These will take the form of letters sent by a scribe discussing the history of the Aranach (a region in my literary world) and a character described in the later chapters of the book. These I intend to have narrated and posted as videos. These videos will also be the first in a line of paid subscriber content on my Locals account.

Also, I have several chapters that provide a little background on the main character of The Revenant and the Tomb: Halsedric. These come from my first attempt to write a story with him in mind, which I eventually abandoned. There are, however, some real nuggets in there and some things that I intend to expand upon later. These I intend to offer as paid content as well, most likely as narrated videos.

So, a lot of things in the works.

Video Insanity

I've started creating videos and vlogs to complement my blogs, and to promote my writing. The content is small but growing. I'm calling my various sites: THE LORE FORGE. You can check them out here:

Locals , YouTube , Rumble .

My main site here, as well as my Locals site are both posted at the end of each video.

For the most part, I'm relying on subscribers to my Locals site to generate a little income, which I can use to defray the costs of publishing. To that end, I'll be putting content up there behind a paywall. I will not be doing this at any other site.

What will be paid, and what will be free?

Paid stuff:

Short stories, Backstory and lore, Narrated chapters (non-promotional), Abandoned material - stuff left on the cutting room floor.

Free stuff:

AuthorTube videos (on YouTube only ), Promotional videos, VLogs and commentary, Livestreams (if I ever muster up the courage to do one).

There aren't many videos up there at present, but I'm always adding new content. So...keep on the lookout for new material.

Why videos? Aside from promotion, it gives you the opportunity to connect with me outside of the books. You can learn my thought processes, gain insight into some of the things I'm producing, and learn along with me on my publishing journey. Actually, it's less like a journey and more like a death march.

Just kidding.

...no, actually not.

Finally...

We're getting closer and closer to release. When the copyright process is done, I will also do a book cover reveal. Exciting times for us here at the Hunter household.

But for now, that's it. Christmas 2021 is upon us. Enjoy the holiday and be thankful for all of the blessings bestowed upon you by God.

Music Muse

Music has a massive influence on my writing. When I go to write, it involves headphones and a playlist specifically tailored for the piece I'm working on that day. I'll take songs that embody a mood or feeling in my head, and I'll put them on repeat. It's almost like trying to squeeze those very last drops of juice from the orange, making sure nothing is left in the spent fruit.

Or, I'll kickoff a specific playlist for what I need to get accomplished. However, it isn't just any music I put on. The music is just as important as the words I type. Sometimes even more important.

Who is it that fills my ears? Well...

Glass Hammer

Of all of the music I consume in my writing, Glass Hammer is probably at the top of the list.

https://youtu.be/BTazW6qXS-U

I stumbled across Glass Hammer about a decade ago, when I was looking to find newer music that satisfies my Art / Progressive Rock tastes. At the time I discovered them, they had a sound and style that was very reminiscent of both Yes and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. But to call them a clone of these bands is to do them a major injustice, for they are so much more.

I was lucky enough to get a used copy of The Middle Earth Album from Glass Hammer for Christmas last year, and it goes into my main writing playlist. The other works I listen to regularly while I write are: Chronometree, Chronomonaut, Dreaming City, and The Inconsolable Secret. These albums act as my all-around, High Fantasy inspiration.

Mastodon

I've only recently become a Mastodon fan. I used a select playlist of their music as I was laying down the roughs of a short story whose working title is "The Hunter."Mastodon is an aggressive heavy metal outfit that blends in progressive elements, and bits and dabs of psychedelia here and there. Their albums The Hunter, Crack the Skye, and Emperor of Sand have been very influential in setting the appropriate tone for a semi-Lovecraftian tale.

Sorry that I could not include some of their music as an example. The policy of the official Mastodon channel on YouTube is that they don't allow their videos shared with other websites. You'll just have to go look them up.

Opeth

If there is one group that is gaining prominence in my vast music library, it's Opeth. Once a Death Metal outfit, the main songwriter - Mikael Åkerfeldt - has slowly moved the band away from the dark, heavy music of their original genre, and towards a more progressive sound. Blending heavy metal, Nordic folk music, odd time signatures, and minor scale progressions, Opeth weaves a tapestry of music that can be dark, dream-like, somber and yet still beautiful.

I always put on Opeth when I need to write sad passages, conflict, or have to delve into the darker places of my literary world.

https://youtu.be/JHq9yMXw3iA

I've been bringing in more of Opeth's more recent work for my needs: Pale Communion, Ghost Reveries, Heritage, Watershed, Sorceress, and In Cauda Veneum.

Yes, Kansas

When I was first writing the Frankie Falawell books, I digested a healthy portion of Yes and Kansas.

https://youtu.be/OeVgcIFEh3Ihttps://youtu.be/tH2w6Oxx0kQ

I'm a huge fan of both bands, even to the present day. Their music is reminiscent of my youth - a lonely young man upstairs with his Dungeons and Dragons books, ignoring his homework, and escaping the angst and awkwardness of my early teen years my hiding in a fantasy world of my own making.

It was probably the first Yes album I ever owned - Classic Yes - that introduced me to Progressive / Art Rock. I got the album one year for Christmas, mainly because it had the song "Roundabout" on it. Yet, it was the song "Heart of the Sunrise" that really opened my mind to what music could be, and where it could take me.After that, I was hooked.

My older brother inadvertently introduced me to Kansas. The first album of theirs I heard was when he brought home Leftoverture one day, and spun it up on the stereo turntable. What I heard was something that I could only describe as J. S. Bach picking up a Gibson Les Paul, running it into a high-gain Marshall stack, and playing his version of Marshall Tucker cover tunes. After all, what group uses a violin for rock music? Well, Kansas for one. And it works.

When it came to Yes, the albums that inspired me the most were Magnification, Close to the Edge, Fragile, Going for the One (two key songs here: "Wonderous Stories" and "Awaken"), Keystudio (specifically the song "Minddrive"), Tales from Topographic Oceans, Relayer - just about their whole catalog in one form or another.

For Kansas, it was the classic lineup and their albums. This means Masque, Leftoverture, Point of Know Return, Song for America, Monolith, and Audio-Visions. Later albums included, Freaks of Nature, Always Never the Same, and Somewhere to Elsewhere (especially the song "Byzantium").

Other Influences

Two other groups come to mind when I think of writing music, and they are related. Kino and Frost* have John Mitchell on guitar. The music of both is a sort of pop-progressive kind of rock that I'll listen to from time-to-time.

Sometimes I throw in a little Genesis, though I haven't listened to them much these days. Emerson, Lake, and Palmer (ELP) was also another early source of writing inspiration, as well as the early records of Electric Light Orchestra (No Answer, ELO II, On the Third Day, Eldorado, and Face the Music). I also listened to a couple of songs from a group called Incubus for very specific passages (the song "Dig" being one of them). But that's about it.

Conclusion

So now you know.

Music plays a huge part in my writing (I think I've said that before), and what I listen to often directly correlates what hits the page. Different chapters often get influenced by different types of music, and now that you know, you can probably see what I was listening to when I was writing a passage or a paragraph.

VLog - I'm Not Raking Leaves, Book 2.

Come with me on my rambling excursion into my soul...or what's left of it.

https://youtu.be/Y9FeC651vo0

Status Update - November, 2021

{Inhales deeply}

Okay...so maybe the book will be out in Spring 2022. (Nervous laughter)

The Revenant and the Tomb.

I'm learning many hard lessons with this book.

I had a book cover artist, and then he got busy with other work. He won't be able to touch anything until February.

The other cover artist I was eyeing? Booked through 2022.

Two other cover artists are telling me that they are already booking stuff well into 2022.

There are many things I am capable of doing, but cover art ain't one of them. I've done a fair bit of searching, finally settling on EBook Launch for the cover. I'm dropping roughly $600.00 for an ebook and print cover, pretty much sight unseen at this point. I have no idea what I'll get in the end.

I tried going through Reedsy, signed up on their system, and selected 5 artists to provide quotes. The next morning I find an e-mail from Reedsy informing me that I'm under the age of 18, and that I'm not legally able to enter into any contractual agreements. If I want to get a quote from an artist, I need to have my mother or father send Reedsy an e-mail allowing the transaction. Oh, and they want me to send a scanned image of my driver's license.

Mind you: for a quote. Not a binding contract, a quote.

Oh, and I'm over 18...well over 18 years of age.

I'm not sending them a scanned image of my driver's license. That'll be the last time I go to Reedsy.

For the cover, I have a number of concepts I'm mulling over. The LAST thing I want is a cover with the main character front-and-center in some heroic pose, with a neon-colored background. In fact, if I had my way, I'd rather it have a bunch of abstract stuff so as to stand out from the rest of the books out there.

Right now it feels like I'm doing a high-wire act without a net. I'm balancing precariously high above, trying to move forward without losing my balance and falling. What if I don't like the cover? What if the cover doesn't grab the reader's interest?

Or, worse yet, what if my book just plain sucks? I will have invested hundreds of dollars into a turd.

I'm not writing Lord of the Rings here, at least not in this book. It all seems like I'm pouring lot of time, effort, and resources into something I consider, "just a fun little adventure." The Revenant and the Tomb doesn't really have the weight that I consider a hallmark of some of my other works. I just wanted to produce something simple and fun that I could offer up for an e-mail address. By the time I'm done here, I'm looking at roughly $1000.00 sunk into this book, with no visible path to making that back.

Then again, I think about an adage that I always try to live up to: if you're going to do something, do it right. Granted, this is all new to me. I've come to the realization that I may be learning a few life lessons by taking a few lumps. I just sorta hope that, by the Grace of God, I break even on my investment in a couple of years.

In a way, the book is a light-weight introduction to my current literary world. You're introduced to Elanni, Wodemen, and Yerch. The Halsedric character is a forerunner of another character that I'm seeking to write (when the time comes). It takes place in a region that has always been rumored to contain dark things. And it has other connections to other properties I've already written (and have yet to publish). So it has it's purpose outside of just pure entertainment.

It's a little stressful taking the plunge. I just pray that all of the effort and money was worth it.

If there is an upside to all of this, it's that I've found a new technique to aid in the editing of my manuscript. It was made as a suggestion on a forum that I frequent. I started to read aloud my manuscript once edited, and boy does that make a difference. One acquaintance I interact with on the forum mentioned using a text-to-speech program instead. Doing that increased my throughput dynamically. Instead of listening to myself, I could listen to the computer and pick out stuff that didn't sound correct. So this will be a staple in my production process, from now on.

Update : I got the initial cover art concepts in the mail just before Thanksgiving (in the US). I was stunned by both the quality AND the speed. Likewise, I'm having a hard time figuring out which one I want to go with.

When everything is decided, I'll do a cover reveal. Stay tuned...

The "O" Book.

As of the initial writing of this post, I just polished off Chapter 19 and started into 20. Chapter 20 should be the end of the climax. I think I have 3 or 4 chapters after that to finish off the book in its entirety. Having the rough draft completed by the end of 2021 is looking pretty safe at this point.

This book has me a little conflicted. I want to love what I'm writing and - conceptually - I do. However, I feel like I'm really not connecting with the story as I write it. When I'm finished with a writing session and I start thinking about what I wrote, I like what I've done. Overall, I think the story is shaping up very well. I've totally embraced the flow of the book's climax and I feel that the end of that section is far better than the one I originally envisioned. I think the middle sags slightly, though I put in enough information to keep things interesting. There's lots of tension and action, which is good. Moreover, the spirit of the book - a young man learning hard lessons about a cruel world - is pretty solid. There are sayings that I weave in from a wizard that really sort of highlights his wisdom as the main character reflects on his words.

A lot of my angst is self-generated. As I point out in one of my previous entries, the only goal when writing a rough draft is to get the words out on a page. The magic really happens during the revision process. Still, I remember when I used to throw on the music and lose myself in an emotion or a feeling. That just isn't happening with this book. It didn't happen with The Revenant and the Tomb. Maybe because I'm forcing myself to write, as opposed to writing with a concept already in mind? I'm not sure. Right now, it feels like a long, hard slog to the end. I don't recall it starting out like that. I seem to remember there was a lot of excitement when I started out. The chapters just sort of rolled out of me.

I think part of the problem might be that I lost momentum after I put the project on ice to concentrate on The Revenant and the Tomb. Back then, I wasn't as deeply enmeshed in trying to build an author platform, getting my name out there, and trying to set up a video presence (see below). Now that I have all of these distractions, I think it's sapping a bit of that creative spark.

Nonetheless, the work continues. This will (hopefully) be book #2. This time, I'll make sure to secure the artwork early...

Other things.

As of this writing, I have narrated the first chapter of The Revenant and the Tomb, as well as post-processed the audio file. This I intend to use in the creation of a video that I will be posting to my various social media sites; mainly YouTube and Locals. After getting the latest version of Audacity, the production process wasn't that bad, and I was able to finish off the audio in the course of a couple of nights. I think it sounds...passable (he said, uncertain). I am no narrator, nor am I a voice actor. I don't have the kind of money to pay for a professional to do it, so I sort of have to do it myself.

At present I am also working on my #AuthorTube introductory video for YouTube. YouTube has an informal community of authors that post videos about writing books, promoting your books, and so on.

I really don't enjoy the sound of my own voice, so the process for me is fraught with difficulty. I really don't have the vocal chords for broadcasting or narration, and I really don't speak well. I just sort of mumble. I also hate cameras and looking at myself - I am NOT as selfie kinda guy. My work area is an absolute pig sty. I have certain limitations with verbal communications, which may be partly why I am a fair writer.

Anyone who knows me understands that I do not have the gift of gab. This is a limitation that has plagued me since (perhaps) birth. I believe that I may be autistic. My oldest son has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and ADHD. He and I share numerous traits.

While speaking in public - or even just in private - has gotten better as I've gotten older, it is still difficult. I do better in smaller groups involved in measured conversation and debate where I don't need to recall facts or go into great detail at a moment's notice. Still, when I try to describe complicated processes or intricate details, no one can really understand what in the h*** I'm talking about. It's frustrating. It's like trying to describe all the things torn up and scattered by a whirlwind.

I find that I am able to communicate more effectively using a script. Of course, using a script doesn't exactly have the same spontaneity as, say, doing a live stream. I also sound like I'm reading from a script. To be honest, I don't think I'm going to get a lot of viewers tuning in to watch me read something on camera. So, I'm thinking that narrated videos are probably best for now. At the very least, it'll get me comfortable with my own voice...I hope.

I have a bunch of ideas for some Locals content, as well as YouTube stuff. I have a short story or two that I'm writing, and those are coming along. I also have a few of the chapters in my abandoned first-attempt with the Halsedric character that might make for some interesting reading. I have a lot going on in this area, so keep a sharp eye out for upcoming content.

I'm close to a thousand followers in Twitter, which might mean a book sale or two. That's an accomplishment...I think(?).

We're entering the holiday season, so that means there will be a lot of disruption in the next couple of months. In some ways, it gives me more time to focus on my writing and publishing, not less.

In Conclusion (some good news).

When I started writing a blog, I had zero people reading them - nil, null, nada, nobody, none, fuggetabouttit.

One of my recent posts had over 25 views in less than 48 hours. In fact, over time, most of my posts generate a minimum of 10 views consistently; most being above 12. Yeah, that's not a lot, but it's far more than zero. This means that I'm making progress.

It's great to have overnight success. However, when you look closer, you'll discover that most "overnight success stories," usually have a prologue that spanned years. Long, untold years where the author was wandering desperate in the pitiless wilderness. In roughly a year, I've gone from no one looking, to a few people looking. The longer I keep at it, writing and promoting, the more people I'll draw.

And, the fact that people do show up on a regular basis means, I guess, I don't suck at this writing thing. Well...that's my hope.