So, that was an interesting month.
Today’s my “scheduled” start date for the new novel project (which I still can’t say much about), so that’ll be the big focus for the near future. I’ve actually got a rather generous chunk of time for this one, so I’ll be taking advantage of that to work on other things in and around it. Meanwhile, let’s see what happened last month:
In Tempest’s Wake – An e-book novella, this is a “coda” of sorts for the Star Trek: Vanguard novel series. The series finale did indeed take place back in the spring with David Mack‘s rousing last novel in the series, Storming Heaven. The best way to describe this story is that it’s intended as a “bonus” for series readers. I received first-pass galley pages from my editor on July 16th, and returned my edits/fixes on July 20th. I expect the next time I see this one, it’ll be when the download links are activated!
“Conscript” – short story for the ReDeus: Divine Tales anthology. Back on June 25th, I was approached by the creators of the ReDeus concept and asked to contribute a story to their shared-universe. I delivered my story on July 10th, made a few corrections later that week while the other authors did pretty much the same thing with their stories, and once all the work was done, the book was sent to the printers. I received my copies just yesterday, in fact. Divine Tales will premiere at the Shore Leave convention this coming weekend, and will be available for purchase as a trade paperback or e-Book download shortly. Stay tuned!
Untitled Star Trek novel: This is the novel project I’m scheduled to start…well…today! I can’t reveal much about it at this point, but I will say that it is something I’ve been wanting to do for years. The manuscript’s not due until January 7th, but I plan to keep busy between now and then.
“Selling Yourself” – My latest monthly column for the Novel Spaces blog, which was posted on July 17th. This month, I ramble a bit on the difficulties I sometimes have introducing myself to new editors, particularly in fast-paced, high-people count situations like Comic-Con, where you’ve only got maybe a minute or three to make your case. It generated a pretty decent discussion, I have to say.
“Ten For Ward: Ten Star Trek Novels Passed Over By ‘the Canon’.” – A new column for my irregularly recurring series over on StarTrek.com. Like the title says, the article will take a fond look back at ten Star Trek novels which have been “superseded” by later television episodes or films. Doesn’t make ‘em any less fun to read, though. I got suggestions for titles from readers here and on Facebook, so thanks to everyone who offered up a favorite title! I delivered the article on July 29th, and it should be live on StarTrek.com on August 4th.
Other stuff in the pipeline:
“The Enterprise Job” – This actually was a topic of conversation back during the Starfest convention in April, between me and a friend who’s also runs a small-press publishing venture. He asked to see the manuscript, so I sent it to him a few weeks ago. If he decides it’s a good fit with the rest of the stuff he publishes, then we’ll be in like Flint. In addition to covering all of the popular e-Book venues, we also discussed print-on-demand in order to make available hardcopy editions. When I know more, so will you!
Essay for Bob Greenberger’s Star Trek: The Complete Unauthorized History – Friend Bob asked me to contribute a piece highlighting Star Trek fans who, due to one reason or another, have found a way to contribute professionally to some aspect of the franchise. How could I say no? The piece will be one of many sidebars Bob is including in the book, which is scheduled for publication in October 2012. I sent my contribution to him back in November, and the latest reports tell me that the book is currently in the editing/formatting phase, and publication remains on schedule. W00t!
Tie-in novel – For late 2013 or early 2014. I was approached about this project back at the end of May. At this point, I have very little to say about it, as I’ve not even really figured what the story will be. I had a discussion with my editor about this book on July 27th, and I’ll be developing an outline over the next month or so, even as I work on the “novel in progress.” As of now, I expect to be delivering the manuscript for this one early next summer. Talk about lookin’ ahead….
Also, I’ve continued to answer the call of friends Nick Minecci and Terry Lynn Shull, they of the weekly Sunday G&T Show, responding to queries submitted to them via their show’s “Ask Dayton” feature. What can I say? I’m a glutton for punishment.
Possible future projects:
Steampunk short story: I missed the window for the anthology for which this originally was intended, but the editor has already asked me to submit it for the next anthology in the series. I plan to get back to this one and finish a draft for this over the few weeks or so, and back-burner it until I make some good headway on the current novel project. That’s the plan, anyway. It’s a new genre for me, so it’s proving a bit of a challenge, but I really like the idea I’ve come up with. I’m even thinking I can expand the general premise–if not this particular tale–to novel length, and really go crazy. I guess we’ll see.
Kid’s story book – The idea behind this is to create one of those illustrated books for very young kids (like, say…my 5 and 4-year old). I have an artist in mind, particularly since it was work he did for similar books which inspired me to do this in the first place. I have a completed manuscript, and at the moment we’re waiting on him to get some time in his schedule so we can talk about it. There also are a few other obstacles to navigate before I can approach the appropriate parties about possible publication. For now, this remains a “passion project.”
Vampire short story: I know, I know…I said I’d never do one of these. However, something caught my attention back in late April and I thought I might write something for an open submissions call. I opted out of doing that for various reasons, but the idea and notes I jotted down are still there, mocking me. If nothing else, I have a fallback plan for this year’s annual Halloween story. Of course, the longer it’s lain unwritten, the more I’ve thought about it, and I realize now there’s the germ of an idea for a possible series of stories drifting around in all that mess. Not so much the vampire part, but other aspects which I think I can mine for humor. It would be something lighter than the stuff I usually write, which would be a fun change of pace. Yes, my note scribbling has been furious, lately.
Shared-world story – I was approached earlier in February about perhaps contributing something to an author-created “shared-world” series. At this point, our discussions have been very, very preliminary, as at the time I still was wrapping my head around the series concept and the possibilities it presents. I already have a notion for a story, but it naturally needs refinement to fit the series’ framework. I’m not even sure yet whether we’re talking novel-length, or something shorter. Now that contracted work has heated up again, this has been back-burnered for a while.
We now return you to your lives, already in progress.
