March 2025 Newsletter
(Almost wrote March 2024) Hey, folks, we’re inching closer to book 2 being ready, but I do mean inching. I’m realizing that there are still quite a few things, content- and administration-wise that need to happen before book 2 is ready to go. I had said, months ago, that I’d aim for late February. Well, that boat’s past. Last month, I think I said late March. I don’t quite think it’ll be ready by the end of this month. SO… I’m aiming for before the summer. I’m noticing a trend that I underestimate the amount of work that needs to be done or I invent new tasks that are incredibly labor intensive (ahem illustrating).
Most excitingly, Dale Cordes gave me a rough color rendering of the cover of Book 2: Unseen Wrath. I’m hoping to have the cover wrapped up in the next few weeks.
On illustrating, if you recall the steet-level view of the townscape I was working on last month, I’ve gotten fairly far with the main figure in the foreground: Muydiyet the Great.
Hard to depict the wolf running forward, but I think it’ll make more sense in the context of the rest of the screen (and once I finish the hands and her sword).
A slight correction from what I said last month. I said that we had a map of the Crown Sorcerers’ Proving Grounds. We won’t need that particular map until book 5 (yes, there will be a book 5). What we needed (and have) is a map of Keppa, which comes to importance in a way that it’s helpful to understand the layout of Keppa. The Proving Grounds are relatively simple and don’t require a map during the time period of Book 2, though it will change later on. At this point, the only map needed is the expanded view of the Gershan region, which I have been dragging my feet in asking for this, so it’s entirely my fault.
Some fairly big news, you can order Book 1 from my website now!
This may seem like not much of a thing to many of you. For a guy who’s generally daunted by all of the business aspects of all of this, especially those involving handling the sale and fulfillment over the internet by oneself, this is kind of a big deal. Still trouble shooting getting the account linked (so I actually get paid when someone buys things). Also going to be testing out the shipping costs and making sure that the first few books get there undamaged.
At any rate, books ordered through my site will be signed. I can also run sales now (can’t really run sales through Amazon, besides the ebook).
For our gaming podcast, we’ve published two more episodes,
Episode 5: Otherworldly Smell (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cIRqm_wMpE)
and Episode 6: "No, you *can* learn from failure" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd6Z_vjfGR8)
And lastly, I am surely joined by a new team member for marketing, which is a whole lot of work. Most of the work this month has been going into research, aligning tasks, and planning. Earlier today, I submitted applications to attend driving-distance conventions for promotion and sales there. The soonest one isn’t until July (and applications are pending). More to follow.
Thanks, folks. Stay classy.
