Status Updates:

Progress! Blessed progress at last.

I track my hours spent reading in a week on my e-reader. My typical week is 20-24 hours. I had more than a few weeks of only 15-20 that corresponded to my least productive writing periods. I've always said, "If I'm not writing, I'm not reading enough." That has been borne out over the last couple of weeks.

I spent 30 hours reading last week, 24 the week before, and all that reading is paying off.

What's Next:

The Wizard's Cat​
Over the last few weeks I've had a shift in my mental landscape when it comes to this story. It's starting to flow again. Still not up to my pre-cancer levels but I'm getting a little bit more each day. I think it's going well.

Future Ishmael​
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 credit Pirate Aba's The Wandering Inn with turning my writing around.

I have history with this book. It's been recommended to me a dozen times. I've sampled it at least three times but always noped out after the first few pages. It came back around a couple of weeks ago and I'm very glad it did.

This saga sprawls across the landscape. Story lines get woven in and broken off only to be picked up later. The main characters - Erin Solstice and Ryoka Griffin - wander onto the page and off again. The side characters run through the story, leaving hints and clues, raising questions, and sometimes answering them.

The set up is typical isekai/gamelit. Erin and Ryoka get snagged from their humdrum lives on Earth and appear suddenly in wherever this place is. Levels, classes, skills - all the accoutrements of gamelit which become significant plot points (and not just milestones to be counted) as this monster of a story unfolds.

I'm in book 4 now. Book 14(!) is up for preorder. I'm going to have to put this series down soon so I can read something else for a recommendation next month (or for the blog in a couple of weeks) but maybe just one more volume ...

This story isn't going to be for everyone but it might be for you. Maybe grab a sample and see what you think. Just give it more than a couple of pages.

Looking Ahead:

If you can't tell, I'm really excited. Shackleford House is waking up again after too much time in a literary coma. It's still slow. My writing chops aren't where I need them to be yet. Mostly because I find myself in that spot where "what used to work suddenly doesn't." I'm having to find new ways to think about the story and how it lays on the page.

But finally, in the cooling days of autumn with summer's heat behind me, I'm finding joy in facing the page again.

Let's hope it lasts!

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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