If you replied to these emails... + Project Progress + Worbemusties + ICYMI Brooklyn Performance
An urgent message about email replies, the annual progress report.
Urgent: if since November you have replied to one of these newsletters via email, due to Substack’s default setting that only “paying subscribers” could reply, I did not receive your email.
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Also if you already replied: Please search for “Lancelot of Little Egypt” in your inbox and make sure that you forward any of your responses to me. And thanks to the author colleague who pointed this out when inquiring if I saw her response to my Know Your Homeless Neighbor article. While you’re at it, maybe make sure these emails are marked priority or primary so that we can interact on the regular: I’d love to hear from you in replies and comments.
ICYMI — The Brooklyn Reading for Of Gods and Globes III
Look.
I know y’all can’t make it to New York City every time there’s an event. Let alone mid-week. So Emily recorded our reading at Barrow’s Intense for those of you who read. I’ll remind you that this work — as all works in OGAG III — is eligible for the Nebula award:
Yes, you can fund future projects like Of Gods and Globes by subscribing!
I do realize some of you who don’t already give on the nonprofit side have said you want to support projects, but can’t afford the monthly rate. We’re grateful for your encouragement! How about a sliding scale for the start of the year?
The normal monthly cost is $7.77 (unless you want to be a founding member, which I also encourage):
But if you can’t afford that — you know your own financial situation — and still want to back our work, what do you think is reasonable, considering your current income?
Hopefully that temporary sliding scale will bring things in grasp for those of you who like what we’re up to, but can’t jump on board for the full amount.
Regardless, thanks for the cheering!
The 2024 Worbemusties + Project Progress
A long, long time ago in a blogosphere far away, I started the worbemusties — the worsts and bests of my previous year as well as the musts of my forthcoming year. This will dovetail with my project progress to give you an idea as to where things stand.
Worsts.
Film: Some of my old nerd buddies from Salem Community High School (and surrounding) who regularly watch bad movies every Friday night online watched one entitled The Return of the Living Dead. Wild movie.
Delay: Someone stole my father’s measly tax return check after his death in 2021. His “estate” is still open because of this one thing. We’ve had some pretty bad delays with Verizon, United Healthcare, etc. But this one takes the cake — it’s not the IRS’s fault, but rather that people keep stealing a dead union man’s last paycheck. If you know Bell Hammers, you know why this gets my hackles up.
Sickness. RSV right before Christmas. Had all of us out for 10 days and the infection rate was such that we had to stay isolated and therefore cancel Third Saturday. This coupled with going round and round the entire year to get my CPAP made things rather difficult at the holidays.
Funeral. Zoe Kaplan, author and editor here in town, died very suddenly at 28.
The obvious, unstated. I won’t sully this post outside of that.
Bests.
Film: American Symphony I watched several times with several friends. I don’t watch that many films, let alone rewatch them, let alone rewatch them in the same year, but I did this one. Grab a couple of hours and watch it.
Book(s). It’s really hard to say, but I think the easiest thing for me to do is say I really enjoyed the Year of Sanderson (all four books plus his book 5 of stormlight) and Empire of Silence, both. I also realized something really important about myself: I don’t like reading short stories as much as epics. I prefer immersion to other things. And so I’m making a point this year to only read epics outside of nonfiction and see how it goes.
Song. Those of you who don’t know me, don’t realize how sad I prefer my music. And so I came across Noah Gundersen’s Better Days a year later. It’s super sad and super beautiful. If you're having thoughts of self-harm, please use one of these:
Crisis Text Line — Text HOME to 741741
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline — 1-800-273-8255
As you know with my own Lexi’s Song, this isn’t something I’m a stranger to:Relics. I got to touch both my wedding ring, my pen, and some other things to Thomas Aquinas’s skull. This means my pen is now a third class relic. For those of you who know deeply the magic system of my worlds and the power of stylets, you know this is significant for me not only as a writer and budding philosopher, but as a fantasy author. Future fans: no I didn’t have a second hand on hand. But if you know the origin of the second hand, you know that’s a second class relic anyways…
Artwork. We commissioned a couple as you know we do and I think I might make a post specifically on the art in our home once it’s up. Needless to say, this one involves starlings, which superfans know hold a special place in my heart.
PROGRESS UPDATES!
When I was in grade school and high school and even in college, I would have fought for any morsel of information about when the sequels to my favorite series would be released. I’ve found Sanderson’s model of regular updates to help more than they hinder, so here’s where everything in the pipeline is at:
It Rides Upon Us. This is a subway horror, somewhere between novella and novel territory. I’m just now finishing draft 4 on this one and sending it to beta readers. After that, I’ll likely pitch it.
Cpt. Hook Inc. This is a Bell Hammers sequel, a hillbilly heist of an oil company: they attempt to steal 1.3 million gallons of oil. I’m moving from draft 2 to draft 3 before sending it out to agents.
Oil People. This is a Bell Hammers prequel that tells Beth’s origin story. I’m starting on draft 2, then submitting.
Arcanum, Darke County. This is a small town horror set in Ohio. Combine Salem’s Lot with Inception and The Exorcist and you’ll start to get the gist.
Epic Fantasy novel. I finally have settled on an epic fantasy idea that I can start with that’s connected to the Vale universe, but doesn’t affect anything too huge in the history materially. It can also rely on a minimal magic system and be told in one volume. I think I’m going to shoot for around 400,000 words for this beast and let it be a standalone — think much more historical-feeling Game of Thrones, but more joyful like Stormlight. Minimal magic, tons of history to pull from, but nowhere near as bleak and grim dark as Martin, Abercrombie, et al.
Historical Disaster novel. Drafting an outline of this one, but it’ll pull from my Joplin Tornado and other disaster experience in order to tell a hyper local disaster story that will — guaranteed — be relevant in the next century.
250,000 words of short stories. Though we already have several that have sold to magazines, there are so many that I might have Cat read through these as well, give me feedback, and see which ones have been rejected from relevant markets that I can share.
Films. As of right now, there’s only the Brooklyn short doc that I need to edit. Though we did just recruit a filmmaker to the team and are weighing bringing in an intern. I make no promises, but I hope there’s something on the horizon in the next 3 years. There’s also a rather massive pitch that’s out there with an estate’s agent, but that’s one of those very long horizon things that requires permission, collaboration, etc. The first few drafts of the full length screenplay are done. It’s always there in the back of my mind, but the film industry is weird. Especially now. So I hold it even looser than music:
Music. There are 5 more songs in the can, but those need funding for production. It’s $600 a song, so if anyone wants to be a founding member and kick one of those off, now’s the time:
Conferences and travel. I doubt I’ll be doing much travel this year. I might duck down to Ft. Myers in February in case any of you are in the area (email me back if so). I don’t plan to attend UnBoxed this year (if it happens this year) barring some significant shifts in the wind. No WorldCon, World Fantasy, as of right now no GenCon unless some subsidiary rights on boardgames move further along. I will be doing some writing retreats, but that’s just for me, but perhaps fundraising will bring me near your neighborhood.
Why less travel? One: it’s expensive. Two: things are really picking up locally. Three: I really want my theme for this year to be….
Cold Brewed graphic novel was pulled from the shelves due to a serious foul on the side of the printer and distributor. I’m still haggling with them over the issue, some of which involves their having poorly measured the bleed edge. Once it’s fixed, I’m going to make it up to you guys by posting a digital version to this Substack. As there were only like 30-60 of you who saw the original blog, that’ll be a fun little for the other ~9,000 who are new. Look for that by mid-year, depending on how fast they can fix the printed version.
Overmorrow (book 1 of the Rites series). Was at beta readers and had enough issues that I sent it to Cat Rambo for an overhaul. If it’s in bad enough shape, I’ll then send it to Jodi Hughes for a third round. Hopefully after that, we can hit the reset button on NetGalley and get a solid date. I’m unsure how many versions of this we’re up to, but it had some systemic issues. Goal is September 2025 for the Kindle Unlimited version with the paperback 3 months later.
In the interim, Overmorrow’s book cover already won top 10 covers of the year in competition with thousands.
Winter Theme: Momentum
It seems to me that momentum and discipline have been the biggest things to go in the travel disruptions. So that means I want back in the saddle working out three times a week, back in the saddle with my studies, back in the saddle with regular revision pace, and regular word count.
In any case, that should keep me busy for awhile.