I kept busy in 2022, and I managed to get a lot done. When the year started, I was knee deep in finishing up Scars of the Golden Dancer, my first novel, and getting that through the publication process. I also followed that up with Knotty Works, a collection of previously published adult works from various places. Both books debuted at Fur the ‘More, where I was also the guest of honor.
I’m still surprised, even though it has passed, that I was the guest of honor at a con. I’m still honored they asked me, and I let that fact help galvanize me to finish Scars of the Golden Dancer. It also has launched me into attending cons to sell my own books, something I’ve wanted to be doing for a long time.
I don’t track exactly how many words I write in a year, but I estimate since I finished the novel I’ve written around 40,000 new words. That’s not a ton of new content, but I have been working on writing a new novella, which is about halfway done. It took me eleven years to write Scars of the Golden Dancer, so I’m doing a shorter, quicker book for my next one. I also wrote a couple of short stories throughout the year. There was a bit of exhaustion after releasing the books, but I’m back on track now.
I’m planning right now put out two new books for this year. The first is called Gnoll Tales, which will be a short collection of nine myths and folktales about anthro hyenas, or gnolls as they’ve often called in fantasy literature and games. Gnolls often get the short end of the stick with little culture surrounding them, so I’ve decided to write my own for them. I’ve wanted to do this book for a while, and while some of the content has been appearing on Patreon, I’m in the process of writing and revising four more stories to include in it. Some of these are shorter than my usual fare, closer to flash fiction, but they share mythology.
I’m also working on novella called The Blood of Life that looks like it will cross into short novel territory. This I’d like to release near the end of the year, but I’ll have to see how the process for that goes. I’ve been putting up chapters on Patreon as I finish them, and once I wrap up Gnoll Tales, I’ll get back to that.
I also had a story come out in the When the World Was Young anthology, “Eyeshine of the Soothsayer.” This is a collaborative project I helped spawn, so I’m so glad I was able to contribute.
Finally, if you’re looking to hear some of my stories in audio form, I had four stories come out on the Voice of Dog this year. You can listen to “Making it Fit” (18+), “Same as Me,” and “Emotional Support Wolf” on the podcast. Also, “The Art Generator” is one of the three flash stories in Fireside Meeting at the Abandoned Tavern.
Anyway, 2022 was a busy year for me, and I’m hoping to make 2023 just as awesome.