And just like that, 2022 is half over.
Summer shenanigans are in full swing here at stately Ward Manor. We’re halfway through the one kid’s summer swim team season, while the other kid is filling time with music and art lessons, and both offspring are of course spending plenty of time with their friends.
June was active on the writing and consulting front, in preparation for being more active in the months ahead. I’m still not at a point where much of my upcoming writing output can be discussed in the open, but I’m told announcements about a couple of these projects are inbound very soon. Long story short? So much for the leisurely summer I was hoping to enjoy. On the other hand, it’s nice to be loved and I’m grateful for the opportunities which have presented themselves.
:: cracks fingers ::
But before we get on with the next bout of writing, let’s see what went on in June:
Unidentified Tie-in Project – Growing out of something I mentioned in a previous blog post, I was approached about taking on this new effort involving an intellectual property with which I’ve not previously worked. After dragging Kevin along to share the fun, we drafted an outline and submitted it for approval, and so far it’s looking as though the actual writing will commence in short order, with an eye toward delivering a manuscript around October 1st. And while that’s going on? We’ll also be assembling an outline for what likely will be a follow-up book. It’s certainly nice to be loved. We’ve been told an announcement of this one is forthcoming, so stay tuned!
Unidentified Shared Universe Project – Something else I mentioned in that other blog post. Kevin and I received an invitation to participate in this effort, and our initial, very informal pitch generated much enthusiasm. After a bout of brainstorming we put together what we thought was a pretty good story idea, and now that the previously mentioned project is stable for the moment I’m moving on to turning our notes into an actual proposal that’s due later this month. If all goes to plan, we’ll write this story over the summer. Yes, we will absolutely be able to work this in and around the other project, because Hell yeah, we will.
Untitled tie-in novel – The main thing on which I’d been working the past few months. I delivered the manuscript for this back on March 17th, after which my editor put her Mighty Red Pen to it. She sent the ms. back to me and after making revisions I returned an updated version on April 4th. There were some additional tweaks after the licensing folks weighed in, and I got an official thumbs-up on April 28th. I’m presently awaiting copyedits to happen, after which I’ll take another swing through the manuscript to fix whatever they find. There have been some rumors and such about what this is, but I can’t really say much as nothing’s been confirmed or announced publicly. I can say that the placeholder title I’ve seen bandied about is not accurate. It’s what they stuck into my contract at the time, before I’d even written an outline. Suffice it to say there’s a different title on the manuscript.
Other stuff in the pipeline:
“Past Sins” for the High Noon On Proxima B anthology – Kevin and I collaborated on a space/weird Western short story for this new collection, coming soon from Baen Books. Everything’s approved and signed off and we’ve been paid, but scheduling and supply chain issues have forced the book’s publication to February 2023. Click the link to read about the antho and its roster of authors.
Short Story for The Four ???? of the Apocalypse – Despite a couple of bumps in the road, Kevin and I were successful in teaming up to spin our own take on The End of the World for an anthology to be published by editors Keith R.A. DeCandido and Wrenn Sims and their new small-press publishing company, Whysper Wude. We delivered our story to said editors last summer and while we made each other laugh pretty hard, it remains to be seen whether anyone else – beginning with our editors and going from there – shares our enthusiasm. Hopefully more info will be forthcoming sometime soon.
Possible future projects:
More fun with Star Trek Adventures – After himming and hawing with STA project manager Jim Johnson off and on for several months leading into the fall, I’ve developed some notes for new material I hope to develop for the game. Unfortunately, this one’s going on the back burner, as All The New Things must take precedence, but hopefully I can throw some brain cells at this in and around the other work.
Science Fiction Novella Concept – Back in the summer of 2020, I was invited to participate in what has become a series of novellas all revolving around a Theme I Cannot Yet Publicly Identify. Though the editor already had a slate of entries for 2021 and now 2022, I’m still pondering something I might work on later this year for possible 2023 publication. At this point, I have a basic premise for a story that fits the theme, and after informing Madam Editor of my interest in playing within this particular sandbox, I quickly scribbled some notes and then set them aside, which is where they’ve been as I tend to other, more pressing matters. If schedules permit, I’ll see where I’m at with respect to The Other Things, and go from there.
More Tales from the Vogue Theater – One of the other things Kevin and I decided while writing “Helluoid” for It Came from the Multiplex was that the Vogue Theater, the setting for our 1980s horror tale, could also be the backdrop for other such stories set in different eras. We quickly came up with springboard ideas for stories set in the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, including a prequel of sorts for the original tale. Well, we entertained ourselves, at any rate. At this point, we have no idea what we might do with such a project, but for now just the idea of collaborating on a regular basis has taken hold after last year’s efforts, and we’re both eager to keep the ball rolling. Let’s see what happens!
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!).
Original SF Novel Concept – No, this is not the thing mentioned earlier that I played with last month. Instead, this is something I’ve been thinking about — off and on — for a loooooooooooooong time, but it always kept getting back-burnered because of everything else. I haven’t given up on it, but at the moment other things are demanding attention so this one stays on the warmer for a while longer.
And now on to the second half. Aloha, July!
The Fog of Ward. 