…there goes September. When last we left our intrepid writer he was laboring away... in his lonely writers garret.

At the end of August, I reported I was twenty chapters into Genesis Alone. Alas, with the end of September in our collective rearview mirror, I’m just five chapters further along. 

Going into this project I had anticipated it being easier that past stories. I had a short story, that had expanded nicely into a screenplay. That screenplay should provide a solid outline from which to build a richer world… should.

I’m not sure if it is story fatigue. Like so many writers I know, I write to tell myself a story. And as I just said, I’ve told myself this story a couple of times already. Or is this some kind of lingering COVID Brain?

I have had a couple of health distractions that also came out of COVID, and I have had to spend more time and energy on my consulting gig than anticipated. Either way, I’ve lacked my usual nightly discipline of cranking through a thousand to twelve hundred words at a shot.  All of that adds up to a statement of the obvious, Genesis Alone won’t see a completed first draft the first week of October. Not the news I wanted to share, but there it is. 

I mentioned last month interviews with Marla Miller and Tim Niederriter. Tim’s podcast Alive after Reading released our conversation, Episode 327, on September 16th. Tim guides a good conversation, I think you'll enjoy.

The other interview I had in the offing was a return to the Blasters and Blades Podcast, with JR Handley. That conversation dropped today. In addition to tangents into our past working for Uncle Sam, we diving deep into world building choices with Genesis Renewed. You can find that episode on YouTube, Rumble, Bitchute, and Spotify. Pick your platform and enjoy!

A reminder, on October 8th I’ll be the guest speaker for the Santa Barbara Woman’s Club’s Book Club. I’ll be talking about the indie writing world, reading from and signing copies of Oaths and Odysseys. If you find yourself in the Santa Barbara area next Tuesday, the event is open to the public, and free.

Finally, I am still planning to attend AuthorNation in Vegas the week of November 10th. That Friday, the 15th is the RAVE, a Vegas sized ballroom full of indie authors, with books for sale and signing. I’ll have copies of Tunguska Deception, Genesis Renewed, and Oaths and Odysseys available for purchase and signing.

I finished Terry Mixon’s Shell Game and am eagerly awaiting the final episode of the Last Hunter series. Reportedly the final episode of the Empire of Bones series is on his desk and headed to the editor shortly.

I’m savoring this reading of Pillars of the Earth. Prior Phillip just outwitted the Bishop fund the rebuilding of his cathedral. A small spoiler, if you haven’t read it. And if you haven’t you should, Follett’s storytelling is absolutely brilliant.

I know I said Mark Greaney’s Burner was next up on my TBR stack, but I think I need a pallet cleanser, I’m looking at This is How You Lose the Time War. A co-authored work done in an epistolary structure. I listened to a deep dive series on Writing Excuses on this book, starting with Episode 19.10, and have been eyeing it on my shelf for some time.

So many books and so little time to read for pleasure.

Theo doing his usual bang up job supervising Dad at work... with his eyes closed.

As always, I love critters of all shapes and sizes, if you have a fur baby in your world, I would love to see them.

To all of you who have dropped me a notes. With words of encouragement while I work on kicking these lingering effects of COVID. Or feedback on my works. They mean a lot.

Thank you