Category: News

Well, that was over a week ago and I just realized that I haven’t posted since before Yule.

Sorry about that.

It’s one of the problems with having three blogs. I forget where I’ve posted what. (Thanks for the nudge, Miriam.)

For those who didn’t hear, my sister lost her battle with cancer at the end of January. I’ll be going back to Maine for the interment when the ground thaws. That’s been a much bigger drain on my energy than I really was aware of, but the trial is over and she’s finally at peace. Now it’s time to dig in and move on.

I’m still hoping to get the audio version of Zypheria’s Call done in time for this year’s Parsec Awards. It needs to be completed by the end of April.

Before I can work on that I need to finish a contractual obligation to write a novella for Dark Overlord Media. It’s coming together–just very slowly.

Some have asked about epub versions of Zypheria’s Call. Yes. They’re coming. I’ll make them available here as soon as I have them. You can get all the various formats of Ravenwood on Smashwords now but I’ll be making that available here as well. I’m not sure what version is still on Smashwords. The last time I uploaded there was such a nightmare that I’ve blocked it out of my mind.

As for the other stores:
No, I’m probably not going to list on B&N again.
I’m definitely not listing on Smashwords again unless/until they fix the conversion tool.
I haven’t decided about Kobo.
I don’t have a Mac so I can’t upload to the iBook store.
I will not be using Google Books.

Paperbacks *are* coming…but I need about a week to sit down and figure out how to make the books do what I want in paper. So far, I’ve not had the opportunity do that.

Sorry there’s not better news. I’m working as fast as I can and it’s not fast enough to satisfy me. I’m sure it’s too slow for all of you. Thanks for your continued patience. Things will get better.

I’m *really* anxious to get Tanyth’s first story wrapped up in The Hermit of Lammas Wood. My goal is for mid summer on that, but I’ve been singularly unsuccessful at meeting my own deadlines so … yeah … don’t be surprised if that one slips, too.

I posted a big update over on Solar Clipper Diary but for those who aren’t following along at home, I’ll recap here.

The news is “Bogged down.”

I’ve got too many things falling on me all at once and I’m trying to dig out of the avalanche of details in order to get some projects taken care of.

Ravenwood’s new cover proof came the other day and I need to make a change before I can release it.

Zypheria’s Call is still in audio production. I’ve not had the time to do that justice.

The Share books all have new covers and I need to finish the copy editing. Every time I think I have these ironed out, I get a new punch list of errors that need to be corrected.

There’s also some personal stuff that’s causing more distraction than it should. I’m trying to chip away at some of these and find a path through the details.

That’s about all for now. Sorry I don’t have better news but that’s where we stand.

It’s not perfect yet but it’s running and it’s pretty slick.

Give ’em a chance to deal with the kinks. I think you’ll find it a much nicer experience

Yes, Zypheria’s Call should be out Real Soon Now. I’m working on the last of the copy edits and I’ll get that up as soon as I can. When I do, I’ll post here so you’ll all know — and I’ll also send a notice to the list.

Itunes has had some problems of its own. Originally the problem was that they changed search so that it no longer referenced the author’s name. When Podiobooks went off-line, all the feeds broke so there’s no listing there at all any more. All the books are still at Libsyn but the glue that held the pieces together fell apart.

The new Podiobooks 2.0 should be along shortly. I’ve seen it. It’s pretty 🙂

Merry Meet!

For those of you waiting for the next part of Tanyth Fairport’s story, it’s coming. Just not right away. I’m hoping to get it done before the end of the year so I’ll have two novels out this year. Fingers crossed.

While you’re waiting, lemme recommend Debora Geary’s “A Modern Witch” series. If you missed book one — A Modern Witch — you really owe it to yourself to go pick it up. She has a great touch with dialog, wonderful characters, and just the right amount of magic and mystery to keep you engaged all the way through.

I bring this up now because she’s just released the second book in the series — A Hidden Witch — and I’ve enjoyed the heck out of it. Her magic system is very cool and right up to date. I particularly like the way she’s woven the online gaming world into this magical realm. Programs as spells? Okay! I’m good with that.

I can’t recommend these books highly enough. If you’re looking for a great light read … grab a sample and see for yourself.

Blessed be.

Merry meet!

With all the stuff that’s going on with the earth these days, it’s certainly a time to count our blessings and look forward to the next cycle of flowering, even as we all try to recover from a dark winter. With the vernal equinox behind us, here’s what I’m looking forward to.

Cape Grace now and the Ravenwood sequel this summer. That should leave me room to write a third book by year end as I get out from under my prior commitments from last year.

I’m really looking forward to getting back into Tanyth Fairport’s universe and seeing what kind of mischief she gets up to next. Unfortunately, it’ll still be a few months before I can do that.

In the meantime, Debora Geary has released her next book “A Modern Witch” and it looks pretty good. I haven’t had a chance to dig into it too far yet, but if you like fantasy — and I think you do — here’s a little contemporary fantasy to tide you over until I get my act together.

Thanks for staying with me on the trek, people. I’m very grateful for your continuing support.

Blessed be.

That’s really good advice, but in this economy more and more of us are having the day job quit us. My work in academia has come to an end with the expiration of our funding at midnight last night.

What that means is that I’m now a full time author — at least for a while. For more details and some pictures of my first project, see The Trader’s Diary.