Today is a Huge Day
My fingers are trembling as I type this. The nervous tick running through my limbs is a combination of things, really, but it’s mostly a mixture of hope and fear. You see, I’ve been unemployed for six months and the job search is absolutely fruitless where I live. So today is the day that I turn my back on Corporate America and dedicate myself fully to the arts and crafts of being an Indie Author/Publisher.
What’s next for Arcani Arts and me? A lot, actually. Audiobooks are first on the list. I invested in a microphone setup and have been increasing the soundproofing of my office area. I’ll be working on the audio versions of my free short stories first. The audio versions might be free as well; not decided yet. I’ll be doing Treasure of the Mayan King and Avarice Dynasty: Evasion after that.
Then there’s the books. Yeah, those things I started out with. I’m feverishly updating and editing The Golden Scepter this month and next. It’s the semi-sequel to our best-selling Treasure of the Mayan King, just with bigger stakes. Chauncy Rollock thought that South American drug lords were bad news…in the words of a rather famous song, he “ain’t seen nothing yet”. An ancient power has been unleashed!
Avarice Dynasty will be getting books 2 and 3 of the series next year. Illusion and Dissension are going to be awesome. I’m biased when I say that, of course, but I think it’s true. Evasion was the ‘pilot,’ where I had to introduce the world and the characters. I think it’s an excellent book, or I wouldn’t have published it, but it’s just the beginning. The misadventures of Drevin Cantrim and Co are going to take some sharp turns for the worse.
Then there’s the Steam Sphere. I’ve had The Deeping Call (book one) in my mind for a long time now, but last year I struck upon the idea of setting it in a proto-Steampunk horror genre and it took off. I wrote 40k words in the first three months I worked on it, while still doing other projects. That means I like it. Don’t worry about the “horror” tag, though. It’s still going to be a clean book and it’s more darkly humorous than horrifying. But that doesn’t mean it’s wimpy, either. Horrors from beyond the stars are descending upon our poor little world and it’s looking like there isn’t much our heroes can do about.
What else? Boardgames. My wife and I are avid boardgamers. We do everything from simple “AmeriTrash” to the most complex Euro games to huge, sprawling wargames. We’re going to be turning Treasure of the Mayan King into a boardgame first, and then looking at our other books for ideas and inspiration. Steam Sphere alone is going to account for three different boardgames, each a different type.
Videogames, too. I’ve been making mods and designing videogames since 1999. I have notebooks full of designs and ideas that are just waiting to see the light of day. I’ve been learning programming, modeling, texturing, and rigging lately. I just need to get it all working together.
Six months of unemployment and have taught my wife and me about being frugal. We don’t have a mansion on Beverly Hills and six gas-guzzlers in the garage. In fact, I don’t even own a car since mine was totaled in an accident last year…and I live in a town that doesn’t know what ‘Public Transportation’ means. If you wish to help out, please feel free to visit the Arcani Arts Please Help! Page and see what you can do to assist me and Arcani Arts in this journey.
In short, this next year is going to be the most fun and frightening of my life. I’m going to have to rely on the generosity and goodwill of the friends I’ve made doing this indie gig. It’s going to be awesome. Will you join me?
