July writing wrap-up.

Dear 2017: Slow the hell down. Seriously.

I mean, the hell? Where has this year gone? I’m cruising along, enjoying a mild spring, and then BOOM! School’s out, kids are home, kids are wanting to do stuff all the time, there’s swim team stuff and holiday get-togethers and all that jazz, and somewhere in and around all of that, I’m trying to get some damned work done.

As I write this, the kids have two weeks before they return to school. Two. Weeks.

I can hold out that long. I think.

Anyway, what was July all about, on the writing front? A little of this, a little of that, and so on and so forth. Let’s have a look at the monthly rundown, shall we?

Hidden Universe Travel Guides – Star Trek: The Klingon Empire – As expected, the book went on sale on July 11th, and so far the response has been very positive. An e-Book version of this book as well as the Vulcan guide is coming, but they won’t be available toward the end of the month.

Maximum Velocity: The Best of Full-Throttle Space Tales – As the name implies, this is a collection of the very best stories from the six-volume Full-Throttle Space Tales anthology series originally published by Flying Pen Press. E-book editions of the anthology went on sale on July 31st, and the trade paperback version is now available, as well. This one was a long time coming, and I’m thrilled to see it finally making its way to shelves, physical and digital alike.

Unidentified Tie-In Project – The main focus of my attention and energy from March through May. I delivered the manuscript on May 22nd, and received feedback from my editor and the licensor on June 20th. Both have been very patient with me as I’ve had my attention waylaid by other projects which have cropped up in the interim (see below), but the requested edits/rewrites are one of the big things in my docket to address in the coming weeks.

Another Unidentified Tie-In Project – This one came pretty much out of nowhere, as I was contacted around June 2nd, signed a contract a week later, and had an approved outline ten days after that. BOOM! I delivered the finished manuscript on July 28th, and just this evening sent in my final revision notes. The doc has been sent to the licensing folks for their scrutiny and (hopefully) approval. Yay!

And Another Unidentified Tie-In Project – No sooner did I get a good head of steam going on the above Unidentified Thing, than the same publisher gauged my interest about a Follow-Up Thing. Heck yeah, I’m in! So, with a contract signed a few weeks ago, I delivered an outline for this project to my editor on July 25th, and was informed this evening that it’s also on its way to the licensor for review. With luck, I’ll get feedback on it in the coming week or so, and I’ll be able to get started. Like its predecessor, it promises to be fast, furious, and fun (no, that wasn’t a hint as to what it’s about.).

Still Another Unidentified Tie-In Project – This was one I’d known was (likely) coming for a while, but we didn’t get down to brass tacks with contracts and stuff until mid-June or so. I delivered an outline on July 7th and got some immediate feedback from my project leader. Once I digested that, made some revisions and sent back an updated version on the 15th. I heard back late on the 30th that the outline had been reviewed by the licensing folks. Their feedback was a short checklist of minor yet important fixes that they needed me to address, and I’m hoping to have a new revision bounced back across the net tomorrow. Like some of the other stuff I’ve been doing, this one also has an aggressive schedule, but I’m confident I can hit my mark. It also promises to be great fun, with an opportunity for more work…assuming I don’t screw this one up. No pressure, right?

Other stuff in the pipeline:

Yet Another Unidentified Tie-In Project – I signed a contract back on March 7th, and I delivered an outline to my editor on April 28th. I’m still awaiting editor and licensing feedback on this, so that I can get started. I can’t get going on the manuscript without that approval, but as you’ve likely figured out by now…I’ve got plenty to keep me busy. Stay tuned!

Holy Crap Another Unidentified Tie-In Project – This one’s been on the back burner for a bit, but I heard back from my editor just last week that after a brief conversation with the licensing folks, this one is looking to get a green light fairly soon. We’re way closer than we’ve ever been on this one, and if it goes forward then it’s gonna be insanely fun. Hee hee hee. 🙂

“Recon” – Short story for If It Bleeds, an anthology tying into the Predator franchise. Writer/Editor Bryan Thomas Schmidt has commissioned 16 all-new tales featuring everybody’s favorite race of intergalactic big game hunters. The stories in this new collection will show Predators on Earth at different points in history, as well as taking their hunts to far-flung worlds. I received a copyedited manuscript back from Bryan on May 21st, and returned my corrections to him on the 27th. Next up? Typeset pages for review/proofing. If It Bleeds is currently slated for publication on October 17th.

Possible future projects:

Original SF novel concept – Something I’d started a while back, refreshed some older notes and added some new ones. Once I knock out the other outlines that are ahead of it in the queue, I’ll be continuing to work on fleshing out this concept so that I can approach at least one editor with it.

Original e-Book concept – I’ve been pondering an idea for a new series – something akin to the “men’s adventure” style books I loved back in the 80s and 90s. It would be a setting for which I could write shorter tales – novellas, likely – for e-Book distribution. It would be something of an SF-ish/action bent, with (I hope) lots of humor. Not quite campy, but definitely lighter in tone. This is still very rough at the moment, but it’s something I’d really like to get into once I get some free time (HAH! HAH AGAIN!).

Okay, we’re done here. Despite the rest of my week being dominated by the big-assed Star Trek convention in Las Vegas to which I’ll be heading by the time this blog entry posts, I expect I’ll still get at least a bit of work done while in Sin City. Stay tuned!

Howdy, August.