Well, it took me the better part of a year to finish The Hollow Heart, which I started promptly after the teaching year ended in June 2021. Between finding an editing group, researching, finishing the story, editing, submission, etc, etc, I finally discovered what the process of publication is like from start to finish. Now that The Hollow Heart is out of the way, I wanted to take a minute to update everyone on what's next for the near future. While of course none of this is set in stone, I do want people to expect some of these soon. The good news about taking so long to finish one story (which landed on 5,094 words by the way) is that I had plenty of time to work on other things as well!
Poetry (submission stage): I have several poems I have been shopping around to various magazines for a while, each with a very different tone, style, and prose. The topics range anywhere from more nature poetry to states of mind and American cultural values. I expect to see at least a few of these out by year's end, and I will announce it on the website as soon as any of them are accepted.
Teachings of the Gemstone Woman (mid to late editing stage): This will be my second short story, and is much shorter than The Hollow Heart. The topic is "gypsies of the apocalypse", and it takes place in the Nevada Central Range at the end of the 21st century. I can't give an ETA on this just yet, but I expect to the send it to the Big Purple Wall when its done.
Paper Shogun: Original Edition (late editing stage): I don't know when this will be out but this is a recycled passion project from just before the pandemic that turned into a print-and-play board game. The game revolves around using frame-by-frame animation to create a samurai sword fight between stick figures, and it has gotten a mostly positive reception among playtesters. When I release this, I hope to release a follow-up edition shortly after titled Paper Shogun: Wasabi Edition. This game will be free on Board Game Geek and will be filed under "Other Works" when published.
[DONE 5/29/2022]
Website Photography Showcase (Needs designing): I want to put some samples of my photography on the website soon, and this wouldn't take long to complete. Keep in mind these will be samples of my work; actual or professional photographic series will be reserved for later when I have the time to go on a photo tour!
"What Happens When America's Global Power Falls" Story (Second draft partially completed): This is not the title of this work, but it is the idea I have behind it. While I'd rather keep this one under wraps for the time being, I did want to mention it briefly. This is about what it looks like when we are eclipsed on the global stage by another power of some kind, and seven primary sources that describe that eclipse. I will focus attention on this and my sci-fi graphic novel (below) after Teachings of the Gemstone Woman is published. This takes inspiration from works like Dracula and I am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration. I want this to win an award.
Sci-Fi Graphic Novel (first draft partially completed): Expected to be my first attempt at a print publication, this self published work is modeled after a combination of 12 Angry Men, Planet of the Apes, and Tarzan of the Apes (if you cannot tell, there may be monkeys involved). The theme is American cultural values when they are pushed too far. This will go to Kickstarter when it is finished and I will be searching for a talented BIPOC artist to help me complete the illustrations when the drafting is done. Let me know if you or someone you know may be interested.
Future Novels (research and early drafting only): I have a few novels I will be focusing on after the sci-fi graphic novel is done. These are very far off, but its worth mentioning them now since I spend alot of time on them, mostly doing background research. The first is a historic fiction while the second is more of a literary murder mystery. Do not expect these for a very long time: I have plenty on my plate for now and I want both of these to be very high quality, hence why I chip away at them.
That's mostly it for now. As I said, I expect to have at least a few of these done soon, namely Teachings, the photography showcase, and several poems (not sure about Paper Shogun, but we'll see). In the meantime, stay tuned. As I keep saying, Rome was not built in a day, and neither shall my works be.
Ciao.