April 2025 News
I’ve gotten the chance to shout-out a fellow author and so I’m doing it here!
Michael Michel is relaunching his epic fantasy novel PRICE OF POWER, book 1 of Dreams of Dust and Steel. It should be live at the time of this post (which is why this post came out on April 2nd instead of the 1st!)
This book is available on Kindle, Paperback, and Hardback: Link to Amazon
Dreams of Dust and Steel has the gritty feel of a western,
the sweeping scope of the fantasy classics,
and brings a fresh new voice to the genre.
Michael is good people, and I’ve only heard good things about this series. Give it a look.
I’d not really considered relaunching a shelved book but since I’ve observed Michael and a few other authors do it lately I’m strongly considering it as well with A Sawmill’s Hope. Which brings us to:
Writing
I want to revive ASH.
Vodnik aka Old Man Hastr, illustrated by Tracy E Flynn
In 2013 I ran a successful Kickstarter and published what I called a “mature young adult fantasy novel” A Sawmill’s Hope. Reception was good I suppose considering I had no marketing budget and knew nobody and nothing. But I grew to loathe aspects of the book enough to eventually unpublish it late 2017.
But Silexare - the world of my stories - needs published, canonized works in order to live. And there is enough quality story and world building in ASH to warrant the labor of giving it a second life. Besides, I’m too damn slow a writer to let entire books go to waste. All that said, I hope to relaunch an updated ASH. Time (and available funds) will tell if and when that happens.
But what about V&V2? I’m waiting on it!
Still making daily progress on that. I’m not sure the order of publication but it seems like if ASH relaunches, it will happen before V&V2 launches. Call it an intermission. Interestingly, the two books reference one another.
Regarding V&V2, I’ve not reported numbers in a while so let’s do that. With a spreadsheet, because everyone loves spreadsheets.
For this current draft (started in November) I’m averaging around 1500 words a day, 5 days a week. That number seems low to me but I’m fairly satisfied with the monthly sum. I suppose little things add up. At this rate, this draft should be done within three months. I’m hoping for sooner.
Then you’ll edit and set a release date??
No. Then I’ll start on the next draft which tightens every plot element and defines character voices. Between you and me, I hope to never write books this big or wide again. The next book I write will be a third of this size and have ONE point of view.
Kayaks
Delivered and stacked yaks at Lake Hartwell State Park
Lake Hartwell Kayak had a record March as far as sales go. Y’all know I love reporting that.
What does a record March indicate?
Nothing really because existence is chaos. But hopefully it means we’ll be slammed for the next seven months.
Podcast
The Four Beardsmen of the Bookpocalypse has a couple of shows lined up for this month, starting with a banger on the 11th! Go subscribe to our channel to support us, and catch up on the previous interviews and RPG sessions.
renegade shot of behind-the-scenes pontificating podcasters
Something Once Sacred
We have a show on April 19th at the Station in Hartwell, Ga. Brand new music venue here in town and it’s been putting on some awesome shows. Here’s their FB page, and here’s where you can buy tickets.
and here’s a pretty little picture of our youthful faces
Next month
I’ll need to find a new normal. Kayaks will pickup and steal time from writing. But writing will be a more dynamic endeavor because I have to figure out where to fit in ASH rewrites while prioritizing drafting V&V2. I look forward to the challenge.
see you then
dtl
