2017: Just the Highlights

This was a good year, writing-wise.

I spent the first few months working on my novel BackTracker. After three rounds of edits, it was ready to send out on the submissions circuit. Over half a dozen positive rejections so far; fingers crossed for one positive acceptance.

The spring and summer months were all about diving back into short stories. I'd taken a break, but now I was ready to catch up with some of my recurring characters. The result:  "Not Good Enough," a Roadkill Joe tale published by Perihelion; "The Last Human Child," a Dahlia & Brawnstone tale to be published by Beneath Ceaseless Skies;  and "Captain Quasar vs. the Frozen Death Planetoid," currently out on submission. This week, I started drafting a new Quasar tale about robo-pirates, and it has all the hallmarks of a real hoot. We shall see...

In other Captain Quasar-related news, I sold a reprint of "The Insurmountable Barrier of Space Junk" to Future Affairs Administration, and they've translated it into Chinese; should be published early next year. "What Do You Need?" was published in French by Ténèbres, and I received a nice contributor's copy. Can't read a word of it, but it was pretty cool, nevertheless.

My Charlie Madison case file "Up in Smoke," a standalone novella, was published last month, and I finished preliminary edits on my latest novel The Gifted Ones. Spoiler alert: Madison finally solves the mystery of The Suprahuman Secret; dealing satisfactorily with all the loose ends I've left dangling in this series was a top priority. We'll see what readers think.

After the release of my first audiobook Soul Smuggler last fall, I managed to find producers for Coyote Cal, Maikro, and Westward, Tally Ho! this year. They all turned out great, and I'm so thankful for my talented narrators. Production on Captain Quasar: Starfaring Adventures just wrapped up last week, and it should be available next month. Stay tuned!

What's in store for 2018? No idea. But if all goes according to plan, I'll still be teaching my students to be effective communicators for Christ, and in my spare time I'll craft the best stories I can. Never giving up, never surrendering, and enjoying every step of my journey as a writer.