July Writing Update

I guess it's about time for a writing update. So here we go.

Do you remember how much you loved that first album of your favorite band or group? And how, when, several years later they came out with their second album, it was good - it had some good tunes in it - but wasn't quite as great as their first album, the one you fell in love with? And then, when their third album came out, several years after that, you hardly recognized them as the band you fell in love with because it was so different...and it sucked?

Now, after reading at the title of this post, if you're thinking to yourself 'Oh-oh,'  well, you're probably right. Oh-oh, it is. My 2025 novel is likely that third album.

The good news is that I'm making good progress on my 2025 novel. Heck, the fact that I have a new novel in the works is good news in and of itself, at least for me. Everyone seems like my last one. So the fact that there should be at least one more, gives me a nice feeling.

But the bad news is that third album thing. We artists don't like doing the same thing over and over again - unless there's big money in doing it. I don't have that temptation, so I can do something different every time I sit down to write a story. And to one degree or another, I've tried to do something different with all my books. But this one... well, we're now a long way from the rocket ships of the Bright Black Sea, and everything in between. Other than myself, I don't know who this novel will appeal to. And the thing is, I don't care.

I haven't changing my style of writing, my 'authorial voice.' I like it, and well, I likely don't have the talent to write any other way. So, if you like my books for the way I write, you might like this one. But if you're here for the story... Well, I wrote a different one this time. The 2025 novel is not an adventure story. It's not even close. It's not science fiction and will only pass as a fantasy because it is set on an imaginary world. And an imaginary world only because gives me the freedom to do whatever I want in it, without having to do any research at all.

So what is it abut then? Well, it's early and I don't want to let the cat out of the bag in this post. All I care to say now is that I've made good progress, so that the gods willing and the creeks don't rise, there will be a 2025 novel.

What I will add, however, is that after having written the above, is that it suddenly struck me that this story - this third album story - while different from all the others, might be, in fact, something of a return to my first, garage band era stories, so to speak. Read into that as you will.

I'll be teasing it more in a couple of weeks. Stay tuned.