life update

I’m Not Dead

I’m not dead. Still working on the 5th book, but obviously it’s taking longer than I anticipated. In the intervening time from the last post to this post, my workload at my job increased significantly, I bought a house, and had another kid. Now I can only work on the book once a week, but I will finish it, goshdarnit. I just ask for patience, and that you not call me George R.R. Martin (even if I deserve it at this point).

State of my Writing

I’ve been less productive than I’d like, but I figured I’d post a bit about where I stand with my current projects, if only to give myself some accountability.

A Spark Extinguished – The sequel to A Spark Ignites has a first draft, which I’d written years ago, but it just wasn’t working. I set it aside for a while, and it was only recently that I figured out how to make it work. It’ll require rewriting half the book, and it will be less conventional than the first book, but it can work. I plan on getting back to it sometime in 2021, probably in the latter half.

Untitled Jewish Fantasy Novel – I have a solid outline and wrote and rewrote the first chapter several times, but I still can’t figure out how I want the story to be told. I put it off to the side for an indefinite amount of time, until I figure it out. Maybe once I finish The New Avalon Chronicles.

The New Avalon Chronicles – A fun Animorphs inspired YA SFF series with zombies and werewolves and secret agents. The first book is done– I’ve written twenty drafts, might give it a once over before publishing. Initially I’d hoped to have it traditionally published, but while numerous agents showed interest, they all ultimately passed. The most common reason I heard was that they would not be able to sell it in the current market, and I’d written a book that would’ve fit in with the market a decade or two ago. So self-publishing it is. Anyway, the series is intended to be a total of five books, the second of which is in middle of the third draft, but will need at least two more to be presentable. The third book already has a detailed eleven page outline, and the last two have decent five page outlines. I plan on publishing the first book early next year, and the second book within three or four months from the first book. Still considering whether or not to try out commissioning an audiobook. I’d be expensive, so if I do, it’d be just for the first one, and I’d see how it does.

I have a handful of other projects in various states, but nothing as far along as what I have above. Well, there are two other books I outlined recently, but I doubt I’ll have time to work on them before finishing the projects mentioned above. Things can change though.

Update and Distractions

On top of turning 30 this week, I finished the first draft of another manuscript. I’ll probably do another pass over the next week or so, then put it to the side and outline another book, before jumping back into a manuscript I’d started a few months ago. I feel like I have too many plates spinning, and I’m on a time crunch. I’m writing them for my kids, but my daughter will be the right age in just eight years or so. That sounds like enough time, but it doesn’t feel like it. I have in my head six different books that I’d like to be finished by then before I can focus on the older-skewing ideas, but I don’t know if I’ll be fast enough to meet the deadline.

I really need to watch less TV.

Yet Another Update

Just checking in. Things have been slow-going, though not for bad reasons. Two weeks ago my son was born, so that along with my daughter has been keeping me busy. Writing hasn’t fallen by the wayside though, at least not completely. I’m in middle of the sixth draft of my book, and this one is going to be a heavy rewrite. The story is still mostly the same, but I realized that the book would be easier to sell as a YA book than as an Upper Middle Grade book, so I’m rewriting the book to age it up somewhat. Due to this shift, the sequel to that book, which I’m still in middle of, has obviously been pushed off to the side until I lock the first book down.

I’ll do my best to keep you guys apprised from here on out.

What has it been? Two Years?

Wow. It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Despite the lack of posts, I haven’t been sitting around on my hands doing nothing. So where’s the second Spark book? Well it’s written. It was written a while ago. But I don’t like it. I still like the first half, but something about the second half just wasn’t clicking. Every chapter was a chore, and I still don’t know how I feel about the ending. I’m going to have to completely rewrite at least half of the book. So it hasn’t been released yet, and it won’t be for a while. Since A Spark Ignites had an actual ending and didn’t leave any loose ends, I don’t feel pressured to release a sequel as soon as possible. A Spark Ignites is a stand-alone book, and while I’m sure some people would love a sequel, it just doesn’t need one. So for the time being, Spark 2 will sit as a file on my computer. I hope to return to it eventually, but right now I have other things on my plate.

Being a lawyer is time consuming, as is being a father and husband. It’s hard to find time to write. That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped. I’ve been working on another book unrelated to Spark. Several of them, actually. I recently finished a fourth draft of one, and started writing another, not to mention I have several more books outlined. I won’t be releasing anything anytime soon though. Unlike A Spark Ignites, these books are part of a series, and I’ve learned my lesson with Spark. Until I have a number of books finished, I don’t plan on releasing any of them. I’d prefer not to force people to wait years in between books.

So yeah, just letting you guys know I’m still alive, still writing. You’ll see stuff from me eventually. Just bear with me please.

Update: The Last 3 Months

Yeah, I haven’t been posting much lately. There’s a reason for that. The past few months have been very busy for me. First, there was the bar exam, and intense two day test that I spent months preparing for. Then I had to find a job to support me, my wife, and our daughter. Then I had to spend time either helping take care of my father-in-law, or spending time watching my daughter so my wife could. Then my computer broke (and every time I get it back, something else seems to be wrong with it. Hopefully the next time I get it back, it’ll be in working order). I was busy and stressed, and frankly I couldn’t get much writing done, and didn’t care to.

Then my father-in-law passed away. I was close to him, and loved him like my own father, so this hasn’t been the easiest time for me. I can honestly say that he was the best man I’ve ever known. It’s been barely two weeks since he passed, and it still feels raw. I’ve found myself writing more now, if only to express my emotions, to find some way to let them out. I keep on thinking back to the times I could have spent with him, but didn’t, often for my own selfish reasons. It’s hard not to dwell on such things.

So I’m not going to lie and say that I’ll be updating this blog every week. I honestly don’t know when the next time will be. Right now I’m just going to focus on my life, my family, and my writing. But I will try to post here more often. But for the time being, don’t expect it to be a regular thing.

Where Have I Gone?

writers-block-calvin

Hello, dear readers. You may have noticed that I have not posted much lately. That’s because I’ve been busy. Both my blog and book writing has fallen by the wayside, due to adjusting to taking care of my newborn daughter, finishing up law school, and a close member of my family getting hospitalized due to major health issues. Now, as I study for the bar exam, I am still writing, though at a snail’s pace. The second Spark book is over halfway done, so there’s that, and I’ve fleshed out the outline for the third. I hope to begin writing more in earnest soon enough. Please just bear with me.