Musings On Writing a Second Novel

I’ve struggled with writing The Blood of Life more than I thought I would. I wanted to crank out this book this month for NaNoWriMo, but I’ve, at best, gotten small spurts of words down. The fact it’s not done is driving me kind of crazy.

I’ve also introduced a lot of elements while writing this that came up on the fly. The story has gone from a tight focus on two characters to having plot threads that span generations. There’s a mystery at the core of this book now that goes back hundreds of years, and that has caused the book to become more complex than I thought it would be.

I also didn’t want to write this like I wrote Scars of the Golden Dancer, throwing down a ton of words to finish it and then spending years fixing it up. In that respect, there’s a reason I pause now and don’t just power through scenes when I’m not sure where they should go. I’m also still learning how to really write a novel, and that’s something that is different than writing short stories.

I’m still trying to get the draft done this year, but wow, there’s a lot going on in this book now I didn’t expect to have shown up. Also, I’m calling it now. What I thought would be a novella is turning into at least a short novel.

Megaplex Time!

It is Megaplex time and I will be at the con with my books in the dealers’ den. You’ll also find me at two panels this year I will be doing.

* Friday, August 5, 2022 at 11:00am – Plot & Characters
* Saturday, August 6 at 12:30pm – Fantasy Writing

The times could be a bit better since one starts right as the dealer den opens on Friday, but I will have friends covering my table while the panels are going on. In addition, I have been serializing my next book, The Blood of Life, on my Patreon. This is still a draft work, but I am excited to be working on this novella and sharing it.

Anyway, I hope to see you at the con.

Anthrocon 2022 & Same as Me

Anthrocon 2022 is almost upon us, and I’ll be doing some panels at the con. I’ve got four panels including one which is just me doing a reading from Scars of the Golden Dancer. I’ll also have my novel and collection at the Rysingson Accessories table. I’ll be at the table selling the books, but you can also find me at…

Friday, July 1

  • 1:30pm — Infinite Worlds: All About Settings
  • 8:00pm — Fabricating Fabulous Furry Fables

Saturday, July 2

  • 9:00pm — NightEyes DaySpring Reads from “Scars of the Golden Dancer”

Sunday, July 3

  • 10:30am — Writing Furry Fantasy

I’ve also had a new story appear on The Voice of Dog podcast this month, “Same as Me“. The reading for this is excellently done, and gives this short piece so much depth with some sound effects. I am also very honored for them taking such a heavy story for their pride month series.

Furry Weekend Atlanta 2022

I’ll be at FWA 2022 tomorrow. I won’t be running a dedicated table for my books at this con, but my books will be at the Rysingson Accessories table, where I’ll be helping out. I’m also doing a Fantasy Fiction panel on Saturday. May 7th at 10:00 AM. Finally, I’ve created a Mastodon account I’m using in addition to my Twitter, for social media updates. I know things may be changing on Twitter, and I decided now was a good time to branch out.

March 2022 Recap

Since it was so busy in March, I figured I should do a little recap. Doing two cons almost back-to-back was more tiring than I expected, but it was a lot of fun. I enjoyed talking to people about my writing and getting to do some writing panels. Selling at a con can be challenging, but I look forward to running a table again soon. When I got back from TFF, I was interviewed by the FWG News podcast, and it’s in the March 2022 edition. One of the things I talk about in the interview is what selling at a con is like as a self-published author.

April will primarily entail me working on my next book, a vampire novella. I’ve had the outline for this book sitting, waiting for me for almost a year now. I plan to knock the first draft before I start outlining the sequel to Scars of the Golden Dancer. I need a break from the setting of Scars, so this is the perfect project for me. I’m enjoying the change of pace.

My next con is going to be FWA in May.