Update: March 2021

Wow, I can’t believe it’s already March! This year is just flying by, which I suppose is better than dragging along for an eternity like 2020 did. Some exciting things have happened in the last month, so without further ado, let’s get on with this post.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

On the writing front, I’ve dived into my sword and sorcery tale for Whetstone, which will follow Arlise Dun as her latest brush with death sets her on the path to joining the Order of Watchers. The premise has me pretty excited, but actually writing the thing is slow going so far. It’s been a while since I’ve started a brand new story, so my creative muscles are taking a while to warm up. Right now, my plan is to write out all of the dialogue for my final scene first, then fill in all the connective prose. A similar strategy helped me achieve a breakthrough on “Law, Love, and the Whippoorwill”, so I’m hoping to replicate that success.

The deadline for submissions to Whetstone is March 28th, so there’s some breathing room on this project for the moment, but I won’t be too upset if the story takes longer to finish. Missing the deadline just gives me the opportunity to try this story out on higher-tier markets once it’s complete. It’s been a long time since I submitted anything to the Writers of the Future Contest, so I’ll probably start there if Whetstone doesn’t work out.

In other writing related news, I made one last editing pass over “The Death of Liberty?” and began looking for a cover artist. I’m fully committed to self-publishing the story at this point, though it might take a while to get everything in place. Keep your eyes peeled for further updates!

All my submissions so far this year have yielded rejections, but one pleasant surprise did come my way during #PitMad this week: a rather prominent editor invited me to submit “Folk of Rock and Water”. Fingers crossed! Even if it doesn’t work out, it’s encouraging to see industry professionals interested in my pitches.

My reading is currently focused on fantasy fiction, especially sword and sorcery tales. Everything from modern fantasy like The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson and the contributors to Sword and Sorceress #34, to rereading classic Conan stories like “The Gods of the North” and “The People of the Black Circle”, to dipping my toe into Fritz Lieber’s expansive universe starring Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser.

“The Gods of the North” actually helped inspire the opening of this current story starring Arlise, which has morphed into something quite different.

Meanwhile, on the recreational front, I dabbled with some more amateur astrophotography around the landing of NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars. None of the pictures are particularly exceptional or anything, but I’m proud of what I managed to capture with limited equipment under light polluted skies. Here’s the Pleiades:

Hopefully, all of you are doing well in these trying times. I’ll see you all again in April for my next monthly update!