‘Tis the Season!

Happy December, Fellow Creatures!

 

Hope your month is shaping up to be one full of family, festivities, and fun no matter how and if you celebrate any particular holiday.

 

There’s not much purpose to this blog other than to grant you all well wishes and to give you some quick updates.

 

Down here at Elsewhere we’re doing our best to gear up for Christmas, which means driving around and checking out the local lights, hitting up a parade or two where there are a variety of wannabe Santas with various qualities of costumes, and trying to get our hands on as many cookies as possible.

 

It’s a wild, but fun time around here with tons going on, but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

On top of that, Casco is coming off his… ahem… big surgery where two things near and dear to him were tragically removed. 

 

It’s such a savage but necessary procedure, and sadly introduced him to conehood for hopefully the first and last time.  

 

I am happy to say he has made a full recovery, and after two weeks of no walks and limited playtime he is once more ready to continue his adventures in Elsewhere.

 

One of those adventures of course is a return to Stone of the Scarred, book 2 of the Scarred world saga.

 

If you follow along on the newsletter then you know I’ve been trying to get through another draft of the manuscript prior to proceeding onto book 3.  I’m happy to report that the editing process continues to go well, though, I’ve realized I needed to rewrite two chapters to make it cohesive.

 

So while it’s going great, it’s also causing me to slow down a bit. 

 

I’d be lying if I told I wasn’t chomping at the bit to get going onto book 3 and other projects, but alas, I really don’t want to be looking over my shoulder to much as I dive head first into the next book. 

 

This is how it goes sometimes with being a pantser instead of a plotter. Big rewriters are just the name of the game.

 

Other than that, I’ve been trying to get to the prequel novella for Requiem whenever I can, although, that has been going slower than anticipated due to other life events getting in the way.

 

I’m averaging a couple hundred words a week, and at this pace, I’ll be done in a few years.

 

I jest, but I am hopeful that I’ll be able to make better progress on it once book 2 is in a good spot and I started on book 3.

 

I find sometimes that new momentum can give all other projects another boost.

 

Speaking of other projects… There’s a new idea percolating in my head that continues to have me excited.  I’m trying my damnedest to ignore it, but I may, just mayyyy indulge in it, so long as I can do so without it interrupting my other projects.

 

It’s like trying to have my dessert with my dinner, but occasionally that helps the vegetables go down easier if you catch my drift.

 

Also, I released a little something called Under a God-Made Mountain, which, at the time of writing this, could still use some friendly reviews if you’ve read and enjoyed the book.  

 

The release has been fun, and while I know standalone novels are harder to get buy-in for than series from a self-published author like myself, it’s been a great experiment.

 

I truly enjoyed writing the story and it was the creative kick in the pants I needed to get back into this writing game when I needed it the most.  

 

All this is to say that things are happening this December. While I’m always wanting to publish more, I try to remind myself that any progress is good progress, and maybe some day I’ll get to a spot where I’m able to pump out books at a quarter clip (if not quicker) as my heart so desires.

 

There are too many stories to tell and worlds to explore from Elsewhere and too little time.

 

So it goes…

 

For now, wishing you all the best this December. Stay tuned to my newsletter and Instagram as there are going to be gifts to give during the month as a special thank you for following us on the journey.

 

Until next time, Fellow Creatures!

 

Stay snowy,

 

-Jeff