Hello. If you're reading this, then it's possible that you may harbor some semblance of interest in my artistic endeavors. If you happened upon this space by mistake, that's okay. I take no offense. We all wander onto uncomfortable terrain from time to time. But hey, while you're here, let me tell you some things.
It's been a smidge over 1,200 days since I self-published my first novel, Where the Sky Children Fell. It took me around 17 years to write. Just in case you're wondering, let me clarify: the amount of time spent writing a work of fiction is not necessarily equal to the quality of its craft. To be fair, I don't know if it's a "good" story. I just know that I birthed it from the darkest depths of my being, warts and all, for better or (even) worse (than worse).
With that in mind, I would like to say that I'm so damn proud of my story. Hell. I'm proud that I even found it in myself to write a book. If you've done the same, then you should feel proud, too. It was not easy. It was not easy. IT WAS NOT EASY. While (for the most part) any human being can write a book and make it available for public consumption (thanks, Amazon, I guess), I don't take for granted that I found the strength to create something that has mattered to me, deeply, for all these years.
If you're still here, then I am grateful.
A million, billion things have happened since I published my first book. The only thing you need to know is that I've started working on the next one. Along the way, as I've penned the words, it has become more and more apparent that I have no idea what I'm doing, or at least that's what my inner critic tells me. If I've learned anything over the last few years, it's that the human brain is a real asshole.
I've gone through the cycle of bringing a book to life. From conception to publication, I've endured it. After releasing a novel, there's no doubt in my mind that most authors would work on their next one, then release it into the wild. As much as I'd like to do that, I don't think I have what it takes.
I'll just cut to the chase: here's my plan.
My next novel, Lyra and the Machine, is in production. As I complete each chapter, I will post them here, on my blog, for you to read. I'm not going to wait until I have the story 100% written and polished and whatever.
Will it ever become a final, published product? Probably not.
Will I even finish it? Probably not.
Does it even matter? Definitely not.
But that's the thing. Nothing has to be a certain way. Nothing has to be anything.
Make what you want in any way that you want. All that matters is that you start.
This is me starting.
I hope you read it. I really do.
I'll post the first chapter of Lyra and the Machine soon. Subsequent chapters will be posted thereafter, soon, soon, soon.
If you haven't read my first novel yet, I recommend it. Consider it a prerequisite of what's to come.
Thank you for being here.
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