In case you missed it, or I completely forgot to announce it, The Merry Widow of Frankenstein was released in October. My stab at an epic poem of what could have been, had Shelley’s Frankenstein taken a few different turns.
Petite, adorable, and looking a little roughed up. (The book, I mean.) If you would like a copy, you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1087901162?pf_rd_r=B2JFXB9X0KCWKFRTMT09&pf_rd_p=5ae2c7f8-e0c6-4f35-9071-dc3240e894a8
So, perhaps not all of my goals for 2021 are new. My productivity for 2020 was such garbage that several things I should have accomplished then are still on the steadfast platter that is my To-Do list. For starters:
Darling Orphan: The Case of Lucy Stewart (book 5 in The Case Files series) is SOOOOOO overdue to come out, yet there’s something about making final edits on a 500+ novel that just doesn’t grab me with enthusiasm. And as this book goes farther back on the series timeline, a lot of the underpinnings of Empress Irukandji: The Case of Charlotte Sloane are really coming to the surface. It’s dense and it requires a lot more focus for continuity than I’ve been able to muster. Regardless, it is once again a goal of mine to get it done and get it the heck out the door! The cover art has been done for over a year so guess who’s the hold up now?? That’s right: moi. And that sucks. Since my books in this series seem to come out in either February or October, it looks like that’s the target I’m shooting for. Here goes somethin’…
Also up for completion and release this year–The Doll Collection: Volume Three. The good news about this one is that all stories are complete, and a few of them have already undergone final edits! YAY. Even better: I also have a few of the illustrations for it already. Quite a few more to go, so I’m going to refrain from getting cocky about it, but hey–looks like this thirteen story collection could hit the shelves around October as well.
Speaking of October! POETRY! You may recall that in 2019, I got the wild idea (not that wild) of digging up one of those “Inktober” lists, but instead of drawing, I would write a poem to fit each prompt for each day of the month. Initially, I wanted to do short stories, but with school I didn’t have enough time to even consider it. So, me not being much of a poet and figuring that Poe’s ghost was probably bored and needing a little time away from the Neverwhere, I gave it a shot. In 2020, I went for a second round. For reasons unknown to me, I am in it for a third, and by the end of 2021, you should have a hard copy of all three years’ worth in hand. I hope you end up loving them, because that’s a lot of poetry!
So maybe trying to write a story a day wasn’t possible during school (totally not!). Well, I graduated so guess what? Why not go ahead and write a short story a day….for the entire year of 2021?!? Never fear–I am so on it! And so far, so good. There has been a pretty great mixture of genres, themes, messages, characters–quite a ride, and I have 340-some days left to go. Talk about a marathon. I cannot be sure of the release date for this, but it’s my hope that I’ll be on top of editing along the way (starting in May, most likely), and 366 Stories will be available no later than January 31st, 2022. Ugh. Who even wants to think that far ahead?? Well, truthfully, I do. I have other plans in the works that I can’t go into just yet, but they are BIG and EXCITING, and I’m looking forward to sharing them soon!
That’s about it for the moment as far as writing goes. In the world of conventions, so far my first show of the year will be virtual (FarPoint, February). Programming to be determined and I will post the link here when I have it. Shore Leave is also on my calendar for July, and like everyone else who is planning to go, I am hoping it will be safe enough for us all to attend in person. At the moment, it’s anyone’s guess if that will be the case. Same for the Erie Comic Con in September, though that one may be a better bet. Stay tuned on all of that.
Oh! Last but not least! Thrilling Adventure Yarns: 2, the pulp anthology (which, if you’ll recall, includes my story “Casting Couch”) put out by Crazy 8 Press was fully funded (including illustrations!!!) and is due to be released on February 19th. I will provide a link to that as well, when the time comes. That should be a wild ride!
More to come…