Updates: The Work Continues

Since I haven't been very active lately as a writer this page hasn't gotten much attention lately. I'm aiming to change that situation but I am doing that in a larger context of my work as both publisher and editor. Writing is still there nipping at my heels so I've taken some small steps at getting back to in a substantive way.

Mostly that means that I've just started working on short stories again, very slowly mind you, but I am doing something again. Hopefully the pace and scope of this will change as I ramp back up over the coming weeks.

This post serves as an update to those who happen to follow my progress creatively and otherwise. With that in mind, I'd like to announce that I have a new book out. In fact it's a little bit of new and old. A few years back I e-published a novella called The Cursed King about a Conan-inspired character I called Fendreg of Senagra. He started out in a pair of short stories first (which also appear in e-single forms) and graduated to novella length. A second longish short story and a shorter than average one followed bringing the total Fendreg stories to five.

With all of that, I decided I wanted the work in print and combined them into a single volume, showcasing the novella. It's called The Cursed King and Other Stories and it is now in print. There will be ebook editions to follow but the trade paperback can be purchased on my publisher website. So, please check it out.

I'd also like to let you know that the sci-fi and fantasy magazine I edit, MYTHIC, has recently released its second issue. It is currently a print-only publication, available through most online retailers and can be purchased directly from the website. As with the previous issue, this one also includes a story by yours truly. (One of the boons of having your own magazine is that you can elect to do such crazy things as being a contributing author too.)

So the work continues...

Day One: Frank Words for the New Year

When many people are trying to plan their goals or get started on new year's resolutions, I find myself on the first day of a brand new year just sitting here assessing what happened in 2016, both good and bad. I'm not only doing this as a writer but probably more importantly as a person.

The year was not that great on a personal level. Lots of things happened and among them the breakup of my marriage. The fallout extended over the second half of the year and I nursed some hopes for reconciliation but in the end it didn't happen. I had a great time with a friend who offered to take me to New York City for a getaway to get my head straight. After I returned, I ended up in the hospital because of my undiagnosed hypertension on Labor Day. I spent a month or so adjusting to life in a separate place. Finally I was hit again when at the close of the year, my wife ended up hospitalized too. As of this writing, she is still there recovering from a rare disorder that left her paralyzed.

Needless to say, I didn't do a lot of writing this year. I did publish a few books, especially near the end that helped my tiny company come out a little better than I expected.

So, I'm here now at the beginning of a new year, trying to figure out the road ahead. As a publisher, I already have a few things in development. As a writer, I have some thoughts too, but I'm still trying to flesh those out. As a human being, I back to taking each day one at a time, practicing a bit more mindfulness, and with some luck getting some crucial pieces of my life together again.

MYTHIC Magazine Arrives

Check this out folks. My magazine is now available. This is the first of I hope many issues of MYTHIC: A Quarterly Science Fiction & Fantasy Magazine. Yours truly is the editor of this new publication and I also happen to have an original story inside as well.

The project is being published by Founders House Publishing, my company. If you're interested in what we're doing over at MYTHIC go over and take a look. 

For those interested in buying a copy, you can buy one from MYTHIC direct by visiting the ISSUES page on the website or you can buy it from Amazon and other booksellers as the issue continues to go live and spread across the web. 

If you'd like to buy a one-year subscription (4 Issues) to MYTHIC, you can do this at www.mythicmag.com as well. Visit the SUBSCRIBE page.

Admitting Defeat? What Next?

Yeah, NaNoWriMo didn't happen. I fully intended on participating, but I just never got there. The rest of my life intruded way too much for me to amass anything like the concentration needed to put new words down on a new book. I won't be crossing the finish line this year.

Instead, I donned my publisher cap and kept busy, on and off getting other writers into print. I've been launching a magazine and prepping books for my publishing company, Founders House Publishing.

The than this work, I've been just trying to survive the onset of the holiday season. It's been busy and I'm sure tired.

What am I doing next? Well, the work with Founders House continues, but I am now reading back through one of my unfinished novels (Yes, I said novels, plural.) and I hope to get started writing again using WIPs to build momentum. I may or may not saying anything about that progress. Better than to create another public failure, I think.