The Notebook
I guess I didn't realize just how long it had been since I updated anything on my websites. Holy criminey. Well, that's what happens when nothing happens and I clutter up my life with a bunch of extraneous projects. But that's okay. Keeps me out of troubled. Allegedly.
Anyway, good news first. "The Hand Holding the Knife" (The Hands of Time 3/F) is set for release on March 15! Woo hoo! This book survived multiple moves and long periods of inactivity. I was shocked at how well it turned out when I finally sat down for the first full read-through start to finish. I was afraid of having to make another push back announcement, but it seems that all is well.
I mention this at the end of the book in my Author's Note, but it was super tempting to split it into two books. Cut it off after [important milestone event] and other major events that I don't want to spoil for anyone who hasn't read the first four books of The Chivalrous Welshman, then pick it up in a new book for the next four books in The Chivalrous Welshman. The problem is that I didn't want to create filler just to create filler. Major events are already recorded, I didn't want to just stuff in whole chapters from TCW, and the later TCW are so intertwined with HoT that it would quickly become redundant. Furthermore, most of the filler would just boil down to a middle school girl working the rumor mill and a man having a spiritual crisis and stalking a teenager. Either of these would detract from the purpose of the book, the focus of the story.
So instead, I had an idea to write a series of short stories and post them on the Timekeeper Chronicles website (you know, that other place that kind of isn't doing anything right now?). These would be more conversations from when [event in "Time to Kill"] and some shenanigans while [events in "Stopwatch"] and a few intriguing things from [stuff and such from "Imminence" and "Synchronization"] that I couldn't justify putting in the main book. So there's that.
Also you may have noticed that the website Shop is gone. Poof. It was a pain to use and setup, for both admin and user. But, since Ingram now allows direct-from-printer purchases, each book in the Library (as of right now it's just Singles and The Lone Wolf, but working on the rest) has its own "Buy" button. That means that you (the user/reader) can buy, essentially, directly from me. Cost goes to Ingram and the rest comes to me. No more tithing to Bezos, no more B&N middleman. Those prices will continue to go up as production costs increase and big companies demand a higher cut. But, if you buy directly from me, I won't have to raise prices so often and can even lower them in a few instances.
Ebooks will continue to be sold off-site. Smashwords was acquired by Draft2Digital, but you can go to either, or your own favorite store for you hopeless Amazon addicts. "Time to Kill" will remain a free download on the website.
"The Universe is Black & White" is also still available through The Game Crafter. I know I don't advertise it a lot (or at all), but it still exists. The Hands of Time expansion should be available with the release of the book, or it might take a few extra days depending. I will probably add something about it on the Timekeeper Chronicles website. (I really need to get that place spruced up.)
Other exciting things...we finally bought a house. Working on a new theater costume. Kinda sorta got commissioned to write a D&D campaign. Was working on a video game pet project, but priorities dictated that it had to be put on hold for a bit; should be able to get back to that after Easter. Have not touched the Timekeeper Chronicles game (originally "Wolf Pack," shifted to "Lone Wolf") in forever. Would really like to get back to that, since I've learned a lot over the course of my pet project.
"Turning Point" (The Chivalrous Welshman #9) is still on track for a July 5 release. Going to make a few changes to it to better tie it in to "The Hand Holding the Knife" and it will tighten right up and be a lot more cohesive all around, which is really exciting. Then, after that is the first of five books for "The Akari-bearer" following Micah and Micaiah. Next year is "The Eleventh Hour" to finish The Chivalrous Welshman. And after that, we'll see. Just kidding, I have a list.
And that's that. Spring update. We'll see how much I can get accomplished.
