Hello readers!
I feel I must start this news post off with an apology. I know I haven’t said too much on the site lately outside of the regular Being a Better Writer posts. But there has been a reason for it. I’ve been busy writing and trying to help my ribs heal up as quickly as possible, and between that mess (the ribs) and everything else, site posts have been a matter of “Hey I should write that … after I do this one thing.”
But I hope to make up for that a little today. Because this is a big news post. We’ve got the ribs to talk about, Axtara, Fireteam Freelance, Starforge … There’s a lot going on!
So, let me get right down to it, starting with the ribs. Rib updates first! Why? Because in a way it has messed with my writing a little.
So, how are the ribs doing? Actually, pretty well. I’ve been working hard to take care of them, from heating and cooling to sleeping in a semi-upright position in a recliner every night. And only two weeks and four days after the breaks occurred, I’m definitely more mobile than the last time I cracked some ribs, and they’re not nearly as battered as they were. In fact, I’ve even been able to go biking for exercise once more—on flat, fresh paving, mind. Cracks and bumps still don’t feel great (though they’re not as bad as they were even a week ago).
Sleeping upright, adding more calcium to my diet … If there’s something I can do for my ribs, I’m doing it. So where, you might be wondering, does this come into writing news? Well, outside of the general health implications … it has messed with my sleep cycle pretty harshly. Sleeping is not comfy with cracked ribs, and even though they’re doing better, lying down is still uncomfortable at first (and not good for them healing), so I’ve been sleeping in a recliner I have.
I don’t sleep that well in a recliner. I’m managing, but between the awkwardness (I really like to both stretch out and sleep on my side, both major no-nos with rib injuries) and the point of my body going “Hey, you need rest to heal this mess” I’ve been sleeping rather late when I do.
So while I have been hitting my quotas, it’s been taking me a bit more time to do so, and since I’m trying to put most of my energy into Starforge at the moment … Well, it has left me a little pressed for time.
So, that’s why there haven’t been as many posts, but the real important work is getting done! So, let’s talk about that important work. First up, let’s talk about Axtara – Banking and Finance!
All right, so here’s where I’ve got a mix of news, most good, and one bit bad. We’ll discuss the good news first: Most of the Alpha Readers have finished their first read-through, and I have started going through Axtara and making tweaks, changes, and other fixes in response. At the moment I’m working on finding a good way to juggle working on both Starforge and editing on Axtara, and while I’m sort of splitting, I’m also planning on spending a good chunk of my Saturday blitzing through chapters and getting this thing ready for Beta.
Even more good news: The Alpha Readers have loved it so far. It’s definitely a little different from the big, Epic fair—and in fact, a few of them left notes that kind of suggested they expected the story to take that kind of turn, but none ever seemed disappointed that it didn’t and instead played itself a little differently. If you loved the more laid-back nature of Dead Silver, for example, preferring it to the larger-scale Epics of Shadow and Colony, this is definitely going to be one you’ll want to read.
Now the bad news. That artist I wanted. Not interested. At all. Stonewalled from the get go. Which is, personally, a big disappointment as their art would have been perfect for bringing the titular Axtara’s eager visage to life. So the bad news is that I need to start hunting for another artist to do the cover. Or consider alternative covers. We’ll see. Looks like another thing on my list to get done. And depending on how long that takes …
Eh, we’ll see. I still think a few good blitzes of editing could see Axtara ready for publication pretty quick. Still aiming for “late summer/early fall.”
So, that’s what’s up with Axtara, so now let’s talk Fireteam Freelance! The penultimate episode dropped last Saturday, Storm, and by now a number of you have had a chance to read it and see the team finally bring everything to a head.
Well, or rather, close to it. It was the penultimate episode after all. There’s still one more big episode to go, and then a bit of “wrap up.”
The wrap-up, by the way, will come out the week after. No more bi-weekly schedule for that. It’s a wind-down. Updates on Saturday until the post-episodes have finished off.
With all that said, I hope you readers have been enjoying the final bits of action so far, as well as how the adventures of the fireteam have tied into the greater UNSEC mythos. Also, I hope you’ve enjoyed your looks at this future Earth and what it’s like as these four have traveled all over the world in pursuit of their jobs. Fireteam has been a bit different, but it’s nice to try something new every once in a while, you know?
Anyway, we’ve got one big episode left, and if you’re up to date with the episodes so far, you can bet it’s going to be on fire. Maybe literally.
That, however, is not tomorrow. That’s next Saturday. I tell you this however, because of you will have something to see tomorrow that I wanted to set the tone for.
All right, now for the big one: Starforge news.
Work on Starforge is in progress. All the pre-work has been completed. I’ll update the “Current Projects” tab as soon as this post is done.
Starforge is coming. It’s been a long wait for those of you who started with Colony in 2016, I know. But this story … I am working at making it the absolute pinnacle of a conclusion to the events set up by the two novels before it.
So then, what’s the big news? Well, if you’re a Patreon supporter, let’s just say that you may want to check Patreon tomorrow. Saturday. August’s reward is going to be a big one.
Now, on to some other stuff about Starforge. I have no idea how long it’s going to be. It could be the same length as Colony, or it could be the same length as Jungle. I don’t really know. Right now I’m just working on writing the thing. However, with so much to deliver, it should come along fairly swiftly in the writing department. After all, I’ve been waiting on this for a while. As tired as I’ve been the last few days, the story has quite simply exploded out of my fingertips when I’ve been at a keyboard. Sands, I even had to tell myself tonight not to continue further as I’d already done enough for the day.
I’ll be sure to keep the “Current Projects” page concurrent with my work, as well as all of you readers appraised on how it’s coming.
For now? I need to get back to it! We’ve had two books of building things up. Now it’s time to watch all that build up crash into things.
So, readers, I’ll see you Monday. Patreon Supporters … check Patreon Saturday!
Over and out!
Unusual Things 