We're a week into the new year and I owe you an update.
TL;DR: No action items for you. Thank you for filling out your surveys, if you have questions or concerns about anything relating to your order please email [email protected]. I'm giving you all another chapter to read. The chapter can be accessed by clicking over to Backerkit and logging in. Stickers have been ordered. I'm hoping to send this book off to print by the end of January. Details below.
Current Status of SLSC
Despite the holidays I've managed to work steadily on SLSC. I've been working on the chapters for Caregiving and Creativity, Health Challenges and Creativity, and Grief is a Creative Process, all together because the topics have a lot of potential crossover and I want to make sure I have the flow between them correct and to make sure I don't repeat information. I'm hoping to have all of them done by the end of this week. Once those are done all I have left are
When Things Go Sour
Closing Chapter
Opening Chapter
Introduction
I'm hoping to also start in on the re-edits of the early chapters so that I can finally start handing them off to a copy editor. I would still like to have this book ready for print by the end of January. I think I can if I work hard and am consistent about it.
Status of Deliverables:
SLSC Print book: In progress as listed above SLSC ebook: This will be produced and released within about a week of when I send the physical book to the printer. SLSC Audiobook: I will begin production on this as soon as the physical book is off to the printer and the ebook has been delivered. Custom Designed Notebook: I will be working on this in tandem with revising and editing SLSC. I already have ideas for how to arrange some of the activities on the pages. Notebook Ready to place an order in January Bookmarks: Ready to print Notecards: Ready to print Sticker sheets: At the printer Thank you Postcard: Needs design work. Giveaway books: Once I have received my shipment of books I will set up a process where people can get these books for free. Lecture bundle: 2 lectures delivered, 2 planned to drop in the next few weeks. Consultations: Mostly complete, a few more pending. Group Mentoring: Ongoing! We've met several times and I'm enjoying the connections we're building. Individual Mentoring: Some ongoing, some starting with the new year.
Everything Else I've Got Going On
June 15-21 the Writing Excuses (Re) Generate Retreat. I will be one of three teachers at this event. Come spend a week in the company of writers, walk forest trails, learn, create, and replenish your creative reserves. This retreat was my favorite event of the year in 2024. I'm really looking forward to the opportunity to teach at this one in 2025. I'd love if some of you were able to join me. Get your tickets here: WX Retreat Tickets
In the more immediate future I'm running the Expo Hall for StoryCon (February 21-22 at the Salt Palace). This two-day event is unique with its huge focus on programming for Teen and Tween writers as well as programming for adult writers and teachers. If you know a teen writer, you want to bring them to this event. The Expo hall is free to the public, so if you long for school book fairs, come to this one!
If you do come to the free Expo hall, be sure to say hello. I can be found at the Exhibitor Support booth. If you come on Saturday the Salt Lake City crusaders will be doing a live steel demonstration, you can stop by a craft booth, see the amazing wares of our creative vendors, or browse Indy Alley to find new art to admire and new books to read. Read more about StoryCon here.
Helping organize and run these events is a joy for me in my life. The people are amazing as is the community that these events are building.
Looking in the nearer future, tomorrow I receive a shipment of 4000 Schlock Mercenary comic books (book 18). Half of these books need to be immediately shipped out to the Kickstarter backers who supported that project. Fortunately one of my adult kids is my warehouse manager so the bulk of the work in prepping and shipping packages will fall on them instead of on me. However many of the processes will impact our household spaces in the form of boxes of books that need to be signed and sketched.
Then in February we'll need to launch another Kickstarter to fund Schlock Mercenary book 19. For schedule and sanity reasons I would love to push this later in the year. For need-to-pay-bills reasons it has to be February. Perhaps sometime I'll write up a big post talking about how to track and keep separate the funds necessary to produce and ship a project from the funds which pay for groceries and medical bills.
Speaking of posts, I've written several on my blog One Cobble at a Time. Sometimes when I'm working on re-drafting a chapter for SLSC I still want to stay in a writer head space, but I need to step away from the paragraph I'm wrestling with. Lately I've been using those moments to blog. I also have plans to be posting more things to my Patreon as well. One thing that is available for free over there is Creating in the Face of Existential Anxiety. (I've had a lot of anxiety about the changes the new year and new US presidential administration will bring and the impacts on my family and business.) Or if you're looking for something less anxious to read, my Patreon Shop has a set of 12 short stories for $5.
Thank you for being patient with a lot more promo-type stuff than I usually put into my updates. This year has to be one where I do some hustling to secure income, while (of course) preserving time and energy for the creative work I want to be doing. Hopefully next time I update I'll have sample layouts or pictures of stickers to show you. Which will keep the update more focused on the project you backed.
Thank you so much for being my backers! Your next update will be the week of January 27-31.
