Hey everybody! So, I’ve been talking to my buddy Ben Van Dongen (see what he’s all about here) and although it pains me to admit it, he was actually right about something…for the first time…ever! I don’t update my site enough. So, with the confidence of a new year before me, you’ll be hearing from me a lot more often.

This brings me to my first hurdle though. What the hell am I going to talk about? Ben’s blog focuses on various events and things from his life, but that’s not really my speed. Not that I think he is wrong to spend time on such topics, it’s more that I personally don’t like writing about that stuff. Because of that, I’m going to keep things as work related as possible around here. Basically, I’ll be giving updates, info on events and books and talking to and or about other authors and their work.

Since this is the first post of the year, and telling everybody your plans for the next 365 days is the cool thing to do, I will spill the beans a bit about what I have coming (fingers crossed) this year.

Firstly my debut novel. I’ve been slaving over this thing for so long now, that it just seems like a part of my everyday life. Although technically I’m on the 3^rd draft of it, that doesn’t mean I’m as far along as it sounds. You see, I’ve taken so long in writing this book that I’m very unsatisfied with some of the story elements and have made some rather startling changes. This means a lot of re-writes instead of editing. The good news is that the book will be finished soon-ish, and my shoulders will feel a whole lot lighter.

There will be a whole lot more about this sucker in the near future.

Secondly is a novella (novelette?) I’m writing for a crime anthology. The anthology will be the second book released by Adventure Worlds Press (No Light Tomorrow: Illustrated Edition was the first) and has a tentative release date of fall 2017. Besides myself, the book will feature the literally stylings of the above mentioned Ben Van Dongen as well as crime author Edmond Gagnon (more about Ed here). I’m really excited for this story (and the entire book), it’s nice to work on something different. Plus, it takes place in a strip club so, you know, I have to do some research. Strictly for purposes of the story! I will take no enjoyment in watching the beautiful naked women!

Thirdly, I’ve started preliminary work on my follow-up novel. The story, a strong mix of science fiction and horror, is one that has been kicking around in my head for a couple of years now. The planned start date for writing is early summer. I had considered doing a sci-fi adventure book, but figured it best to stay in my comfort zone and keep to the scary stuff.

And lastly, I have a small, and super-secret project in the works. Why is it super-secret you ask? Well, to be honest, I’m keeping a tight lid on it because it is very new territory for me and, quite frankly, may be a steaming pile of crap. Because of that, I really don’t want to build it up too much.

And there you have it, a brief rundown of all the things I most likely won’t accomplish in 2017, but if I get even a couple of them finished, I’ll be a happy camper.

See you next week!

-C