Hey readers! Who’s ready for some good news?
I know, it seems like that’s been in short supply this last month, but I’ve worked my hardest to try and bring you all some good stuff even when there was bad that had to come as well. But today it’s all good news. You ready?
First up, we’ve got a new episode of Fireteam Freelance dropping this Saturday! It’s already in the queue and ticking down the clock! Repeat Performance sees the team journeying to, of all places, Hawaii. The Big Island … though perhaps a little different from it is now. The same client that sent them to Mexico has another strange request of them, but for twenty-five million Euromarks, well … Let’s just say you can fulfill a lot of eccentricity with that kind of money …
So yeah, this Saturday will see the launch of episode four of Fireteam. Free to read, here on the site. That’s good news!
What’s next? Well, I am happy to report that after the terrifying and almost utterly complete slump of sales following the Covid-19 quarantine … Things have recovered! It didn’t last—and there was a very real fear that it might!
But that fear proved to, slowly but surely, not be so. In fact, my sales have begun to work themselves back to what they were post-LTUE. And, from the current trend, perhaps even higher.
Thank you. All of you that have read my books and left reviews and ratings on them, or shared them with others. All of you that have told someone “Hey, this book I read, you’ve got to try it!” All you that have talked about my books on Reddit and Facebook and who knows how many other spaces out there online.
Thank you. Because of you, Colony, Jungle, Shadow of an Empire, and the rest of my library are starting to become known. They’re still small, but that word of mouth is helping them grow and gather attention. Attention that in turn, spreads on.
Word of mouth is the best advertising there is. So thank you for talking, spreading, and sharing. My sales are growing, which means I’m becoming more stable financially, which means I can work more on writing and worry less about whether or not I can afford my next meal.
So, with that in mind, what is next with writing? It’s been a few months since I talked about future projects here. And since it’s a good news day, let’s talk about it!
So, Fireteam Freelance is currently 1/3 done. That’s right we’re a third of the way through once Repeat Performance goes up this Saturday! And of course, I’ll be starting episode five before then, so that’ll be coming along. So … maybe May, early June Fireteam Freelance will be done. At which point.
Starforge. That’s right. Work will start on the final entry what I’ve started calling the “UNSEC Space” trilogy. It’ll probably stick. But yes, once Fireteam is done I’ll begin writing the final book that ties up everything in Colony and Jungle. And believe me, it’s going to be nuts.
You know how my books tend to start out laying the groundwork and then spend the last third with everything blowing up in an avalanche of reveals, explosions, action, and peril? Yeah? Well now consider that this is the last third of a trio of books. Parse that for a second.
Oh yes. It’s going to be a ride.
“But wait,” some of you may be thinking. “If he’s going to start work on Starforge in June or July, does that mean we won’t get a new Florschutz book this year?”
Not at all! First, A Dragon and Her Girl, the LTUE benefit anthology, does bear my name! Second, you will have been able to read all of Fireteam Freelance for free, and while not an official “book” (not yet) that’s still pretty good!
And third, there will be another release this year if I get my way. Axtara – Banking and Finance. As soon as I’m done with Fireteam Freelance, I’ll be doing the pre-Alpha checks to get it read for Alpha. And while I work on Starforge, it’ll be with Alpha Readers. And then Betas. Hopefully clocking it in for a fall-winter release!
So yes, there will be a new book this year. Technically, I’m going to call it two. Or one-and-a-half. Depends on how you want to quantify A Dragon and Her Girl.
But yes, Axtara, that tale of a dragoness who decides to take matters into her own claws and open a bank, is coming. Set in the same setting as A Game of Stakes and A Trial for a Dragon. In fact, those of you that read A Trial for a Dragon will see some definite close relations: Ryax (the protagonist of Trial) is Axtara’s older sibling.
Speaking of A Trial for a Dragon … How is it coming along?
Wonderfully! Today I start going through Beta Reader edits and doing the Beta pass. Which, unsurprisingly, seems pretty clean. And then once that’s done … it’ll be off to submission!
If you’re new here, or weren’t aware, A Trial for a Dragon is my entry for the 4th LTUE Benefit Anthology, Parliament of Wizards. Which you can read more about here. It’s a fun story about … Well, that’d be spoilers! But there’s a dragon, and a council of wizards, and it’s probably not what you’re thinking.
Naturally. After all, it’s me. When have my stories ever been what most people expect? But I think you’ll enjoy it.
So, with all that news, there’s still one last bit of good news that struck today. Not writing related, but good news nonetheless. If you’re in the US, stimulus checks have begun rolling out! And for a lot of people who desperately need the money, their jobs closed and shut down for over a month now, that’s a bright spot in an otherwise terrifying economical forecast.
Seriously, that’s several months’ worth of my portion of rent. Definitely eases the squeeze the last few months have put me in.
And with that, I’ve got a story about a dragon and a bunch of wizards to go beta edit for! Then more mercenary adventures to write! And then … it never ends!
So, that’s the good news post. I’ll be back tomorrow or Friday with another opinion post most likely, and then Saturday for more Fireteam Freelance!
Have a great day, everyone! Max out!
Unusual Things 