Pictures
My wife and I joined a photo club put on by a local camera shop. The inaugural photowalk was at a local park I’d never been to: Mt. Tabor. It was fun to see the cameras people brought out. I took my trusty Sony A7C2 with the Sigma 20-200 lens and wasn’t disappointed with the results. On a sunny day, with light to spare, a super zoom won’t let you down.
Later in the month we went out to the Columbia River Gorge to take pictures of a couple waterfalls. We stopped at Bate’s Lavender Farm on the way home and were not disappointed. Flowers for days and the buzzing of happy honeybees.
Shepherds Progress
Happy to announce that I’m 16k words into writing Timeworn Dreams. My initial plans of doing an international-manhunt have been shelved in favor of something that leans a lot more on the “thriller” end of the spectrum. After two books of the FBI chasing someone, why not flip the script and have someone chasing our fearless agents for once?
I’d been wrestling with how to start the book for the last couple months. A time jump makes it easy to have characters discuss events in a way that eases readers back into the adventure. Whereas starting moments after the end of the last book instantly ratchets up the tension and doesn’t keep you waiting. But, readers may not remember everything that happened.
In the current draft, the book starts immediately where the last one left off. I’ve reasoned that anyone reading the third book in a trilogy is hungry to see where story ends. In case you don’t remember where Fragile Creatures left things, I’ve put in some dialogue to help. I’m not sure if I’ll do another “previously” summary chapter, would folks want it?
I think the final book will be around 110k words, if that helps you picture how much more I have to write. I’m aiming to finish a readable draft by the end of this year, put it into the hands of test readers next spring, and have the final book out in the 2nd half of 2027. I’ll post a preview chapter, or two, later this year. Maybe a Christmas gift to newsletter subscribers?
Vampire Test Reading
A group of awesome readers are currently providing me feedback on Vampire Detective Agency: Double Date. I’ve been loving seeing their chapter by chapter progress, and it’s fun to see the theories forming as they go along. I’ll definitely be doing this type of test reader feedback on future entries in the series.
While they’ve been working on Double Date, I spent most of this month working on future entries. The chapter outline for Three Hairy Suitors is pretty much locked in. Four Dead Suspects has a rough story plan. Five Bottle Nights has a premise, a love interest, and a central mystery. Six Cursed Boyfriends has a premise and nothing else yet. I have some ideas for where Betsy’s story can go, but I’m waiting to see how readers react to her appearances in the first five books.
Just a reminder: I’ll have a lot more to share about Double Date in August when the call for ARC readers goes out.
Recommended Watching
Been reading a book that’s been difficult. It’s beautifully written, but I’m a third of the way in without a clear understanding of where the story is going. So, no book recommendation this month. Only a Netflix show. Four Seasons. It’s Tina Fey doing her Tina Fey comedy thing with a cast of talented actors and a story that goes in directions you’re not expecting. It’s fun. You should give it a chance. Just know the first episode starts slow before the show picks up pace.
That Beautiful Past
When things get bad, nostalgia gets broken out as a salve for dour moods. The past is always golden, even if the future is on fire. No surprise that masters of the nostalgia genre, Nintendo, were ready with a Star Fox remake. I played the first game on SNES a few times, didn’t think much of the low poly visuals and the sluggish gameplay. Never played it the N64 version. Nor the WiiU version.
I picked the new one up and… It’s okay. Feels like they were afraid to change anything, and I’m left wishing they’d modernized it. Honestly, the whole game screams out for rogue-like elements. Instead, they added cutscenes. Oh well. This remake does make me a little nervous for the forthcoming Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake… is it just going to be the original game with modern graphics? That would be such a waste.
GTA and Waiting
Speaking of things coming back from the past… they’re finally going to release a new Grand Theft Auto. Thirteen years between new titles has got to be a record. Yes, I have preordered. Having to wait so long wasn’t fun. It made me reflect on how long readers of Shepherds of Fragile Creatures have waited to find out what happened to Cate, Alyx, and Frank. I feel bad, but at the same time, a delayed book can eventually be good with enough rewrites. A bad book rushed out the door… is bad forever.
