Writing Update: October 2023
It has been another little while since I’ve updated by blog with all that’s been happening with my writing, but I feel like now is a good time.
The Shadow of Arcadia
First of all, I need to update you all on the progress of The Shadow of Arcadia. I’ve made no secret that I’ve struggled writing this book. It has absolutely been the hardest book I’ve ever written, and things have taken a lot longer than I wanted.
The good news, however, is that the book is now away with beta readers! I’ve asked for around 3 months of turnaround time, so it’ll likely be January before I get their feedback to incorporate. As you can probably tell, this means the bad news is that the book won’t be coming out this year, something for which I feel I must apologise profusely. I had my heart set on releasing it in November 2023, the same as it was for From the Grave of the Gods. The part of my brain that absolutely cannot handle plans changing is screaming at me, and I liked the idea of releasing novellas mid-year and novels in November. But to skip important parts of the editing process just to make a deadline would be irresponsible, and the book would be all the weaker for it.
So, it’s going to have to be 2024, and I’m hoping it will be as early as possible. I’ve tentatively put Q2 2024 on my Books page, which should allow me time to both make all the necessary edits from the beta reads, decide on a copy editor, and get it all ready for publication.
Newton’s Reach: An Augment Saga Short Story
On the plus side, my new short story that I’ve been working on is almost ready for release to newsletter subscribers. All I have to do is prepare the files. I think it’s going to be a lot easier than what I did for The Re-Emergence, when that was my newsletter magnet, because Kindles seem to be playing nice with the EPUB format now, and I’ve managed to make one that works both on my wife’s Kindle and on Google Play. So that means I don’t have to mess about making MOBI or AZW3 files. So it’ll likely be a downloadable choice between EPUB and PDF.
I should be good to release Newton’s Reach later this month.
Also, I didn’t put this on my blog, but I made a surprise cover reveal for the short story on my social medias because I had just finished making it and I was very pleased with how it came out. So here it is, and the blurb I’ve come up with is as follows:
There is a mass at the outer reaches of the solar system.
A strange, unknown body tugging on the orbits of the countless icy dwarf planets which occupy a vast ring-like region of space known as the Kuiper Belt.
The Ninth Planet.
For decades, astronomers have puzzled over the existence and nature of this elusive planet-sized enigma, and for Captain April Rose-Hartley of the UNSV Newton and her intrepid crew of Planet Hunters, it represents the greatest prize of all.
Join them, as they explore the furthest reaches of the the system, where the sun is but a pinprick of light lost amidst a universe of stars.
Other Stuff…
Social Media
With the ever-changing landscape of social media over the last few months, and a lot of uncertainty brought about by the ridiculous decision-making of the world’s richest idiot, I’ve finally taken the plunge and branched out to other places than Twitter (I’m not calling it X)—that being Threads, and Bluesky. I mean, I’ve been on these places for the last few months, but I haven’t posted about it here. I’m staying on Twitter for now, and I’ll likely be there until I’m physically barred from logging in or they pry my account from my cold, dead hands. BUT, if you’d like to follow me on Threads, you can find me here: @alandell88 and on Bluesky, I’m here: @alankdell.bsky.social
Craft Fayres
I am planning on seeing if I can book up a few craft fayres again this year. The two that I did last year were good experiences, even if they didn’t break even, and the only way to get a better response is to keep going, and to make your face known. So to that effect, I’ve started making a list of upcoming fayres, and so hopefully I’ll have pictures to share and a better uptake.
Writing Contests
After the disappointment of From the Grave of the Gods dropping out early from the second Self-Published Science Fiction Contest (SPSFC), and The Re-Emergence also dropping out early from the Book Blogger’s Novel of the Year Award (BBNYA), I’m BACK with more misplaced confidence than ever!
An absolute glutton for punishment, I’ve re-entered From the Grave of the Gods into the third SPSFC, where, in terms of judges impressions so far, it seems to be faring better than last time. And I’ve also entered The Re-Emergence into the first ever Speculative Fiction Indie Novella Championships (SFINCS), the first round of which should see results in December.
In terms of the SPSFC, this is the last time that From the Grave of the Gods will be eligible to enter that particular competition. So, wherever it ends up, that’ll be the end of my time with that contest.
I think that about wraps it up for another writing update. Keep an eye out on my blog for more book reviews, and further news about what I’ve covered above as we draw ever closer to Christmas.
