Status Updates:

The reading is still paying off in terms of inspiring me to get back into the trenches and write.

What's Next:

The Wizard's Cat​
I'm still making good progress. I know more about where the story is going. The biggest obstacle right now is getting into the groove.

Future Ishmael​
No change here. The Cat has priority over everything. Yes. Someday. I don't know where or when. Other stories in the Western Annex are percolating, too.

Tanyth Fairport​
I really want to get back to her and the people in that world. When I'll find the time is anybody's guess. The audiobooks are still in limbo. Sorry.

What I'm Reading:

I'm still reading Pirate Aba's The Wandering Inn series. I'm up to book 10 and have read almost nothing except this for over a month. These books are huge. My reading time per week is closing in on 40 hrs according to my phone's weekly usage report. So I had to go into the Way Back Machine to find a book to recommend.

This Mackey Chandler series, Family Law, is a spin off from his April series following a different story branch but with a lot of cross-over between the two. I actually discovered this series first back in 2021 in the before times. It put Chandler on my "buy without sampling" list. One of a very few.

It's another found family story with some excellent world building, great characters, and an engaging story. It's Space Opera in the truest sense of the genre with interstellar shenanigans.

I found it to be a captivating tale, but you might grab a sample of book 1 and see what you think.

Looking Ahead:

The last month has not been my most productive. I'm excited for where Roger is going in Shackleford House but can't find the focus needed to make significant progress. I'm working on spinning up some of the old techniques - word sprints, gamification with 4thewords, and pomodoro sessions with mynoise.net - to see if I can find some momentum going forward.

I hope to have the first draft done by the end of the year. The distraction level is cranked up to 11 and my ability to control it is near 0. Perhaps when I finally get to the end of The Wandering Inn, I'll be able to translate all that reading time into writing time.

Fingers crossed.

Until next month, safe voyage.

-NL

Remember ​
I update the blog every month on the first so if you're wondering what's happening, you can check there to get an interim report until the next one shows up in your inbox.

Beta Readers:

Every so often, I put out a call for beta readers. These are people who are willing to read the work in progress in a short period of time with only the briefest of notices.

I'm going to be fine tuning this process going forward but if you'd like to be considered for future works, then click this link.
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​It puts a tag on your address in the email list. You don't have to check anything. The ConvertKit people (who store the addresses) will handle it and then take you to a page to tell you that your preferences have been set. By clicking that link you're done.

And thanks.

Fine Tuning:

Would you prefer to get ONLY new release notices?YES, PLEASE​

Note: Newsletter people will get New Release notices, too, but
I've had several people say they preferred to only hear from me when I
release a new book so I'm trying to accommodate them.
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