Now through Halloween, you can save 50% off of my titles during the Halloween sale at Itch. Check out my titles at https://itch.io/s/205653/halloween-sale-2026
You can also save 25% off of Nomadic Delirium Press titles at https://itch.io/s/205624/halloween-sale-2026
I’m currently working on a sequel to one of my novels. I know many readers have been wanting a sequel to Slave to the Stars, since a lot of you want to know what happens to Tilmath as she continues to grow up. Well, that’s not the sequel I’m working on. Sorry. I do have some ideas for it, but they’re just not quite ready yet.
For this sequel, I’m going back in time a bit. Many people have asked for a sequel to A Problem in Translation, and that is the sequel that I’m currently working on. It’s been a long time since I’ve visited the world of Cap. Takahashi and his crew, but I’m really excited to be working on this one.
This is the first time that I’ve ever tried to write a sequel to one of my novels, so it’s a different experience. Most of the characters are already there, so I don’t have to worry about doing much to create them, although I of course have to make sure that I inject enough material about them for readers that might not have read the first novel, but at the same time, not introduce so much material that I make it boring for the readers who have read the first book. It’s interesting trying to find that balance. And of course, rereading the first novel, I realized how much I had actually forgotten over all these years.
This novel will start out with now Ambassador Takahashi on the Lemec homeworld. The Lemec have received a signal from a species that they have no knowledge of, and this of course bothers these creatures that like to control everything. Still not sure if he even likes the hard to understand aliens, Takahashi realizes that they want him to make first contact with these new aliens, which is hard for him to understand considering just how bad first contact between him and the Lemec went.
Working on this novel is fun in different ways than some of my other work. Taking my characters to new worlds gives me a chance to do some fun math. Math? you might be saying. In writing? Well, yes. Science fiction has to get the science right, so in the first book when you heard one of the characters spouting of statistics about a new planet, those were all legitimate. I went through and did all of the math to make sure that the details were correct. I’ve never liked it when science fiction writers just try to fake their way through the science…that’s not what this field is about.
So, Takahashi will be heading off to visit these new aliens, and he will find himself meeting more than just the aliens that sent the signals. Will he make the same mistakes he made last time? Or will he find new mistakes to make? And unfortunately for him, he won’t be going alone…
I don’t know how long it will take me to write this novel, but I’m very excited about it, so hopefully the process will be quick. My family is still struggling, and we will most likely be homeless at the beginning of the year, but maybe living in the car will give me the motivation to write this novel quickly. We shall see.
If you haven’t read the first novel, please feel free to check it out at https://books2read.com/b/b6a1xx. I’m even lowering the e-book price to $2 for a couple of weeks.
From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:
A new setting supplement for the Divided States of America RPG is now available. Step inside Utah…
Utah is a small country dominated by religion, and slowly falling into chaos.
This Divided States of America RPG supplement will introduce you to the cities of Utah, some of the important people, places, and groups that your characters could encounter. Will your characters enter this small country hoping to help save it, or will they hope to bring about the chaos that may be inevitable?
Download it today at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/590028/
I’ve created a new collection that is only available through my Gumroad store at https://jalanerwine.gumroad.com/
The collection features 11 of my stories, covering much of my career, and hopefully showing some of my diversity as a writer.
Check it out, and consider subscribing to get monthly e-books.
From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:
It’s election time again, which means it’s time for our Divided States of America sale. You can download the RPG or fiction titles for 33% off at https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/publisher/2805/
Play the game, read the stories, but make sure you don’t let this future become a reality!
October is my birthday month, and I will be turning ancient, or maybe I already am…I can’t remember, but my birthday brings you gifts. Save 50% off of all of my titles…novels, short story collections, and even individual short stories…they’re all here.
DriveThruFiction: https://www.drivethrufiction.com/en/publisher/16618/
My new short story, “Echoes of Evolution” appears in the new issue of Boundary Shock Quarterly, which is themed around Furry Friends. This story is a prequel to my novel Echoes from the Deep. Of course, I’ve never been very good at coloring in the lines, so my “furry” characters are dolphins.
The animals have become intelligent and—dare we say—human-like.
Was it a mad experiment? Mutation from a nuclear war? Genetic engineering? New future workers? Are we humans still around or have we gone the way of the dodo? Are the animals aware of whom we are or do they see us as some distant legendary gods?
Download it at https://www.boundaryshockquarterly.com/book/furry-friends/
My bestseller for September 2026 was my latest novel, Slave to the Stars. Download it at https://books2read.com/u/3Gg068
Tilmath was born a slave, but she was no ordinary slave. Unlike most humans, she was an Espari, a human capable of sensing the emotions of other beings.
Now, having escaped from her slave masters, the teenager finds herself on the run and about to meet some of the most interesting creatures she could ever imagine, and go on an adventure that she could never dream of. Using her poorly trained empathic senses, she tries to do everything she can to survive, but quickly learns that survival isn’t the most important thing for a slave girl escaping to the stars.
Fall is the best time of the year, and Nomadic Delirium Press is having 25% off sales at several sites. Many of my titles are part of these sales, so if you’re looking for a new game to play, or some new fiction to read, this would be the perfect time to download some new titles.
Check out the sales at Payhip at https://payhip.com/NomadicDeliriumPress
Itch: https://itch.io/s/201907/start-of-fall-sale
or at RPG Trader: https://rpg-trader.com/creator/133/nomadic-delirium-press
Almost all writers struggle with their craft at times, and I’ve definitely had my own bouts of writer’s block. This time, however, I know it’s something different. I’ve never actually made a lot of money from my writing, but in the past, I could be confident that I might be able to buy a week or two of groceries, or pay a couple of bills, but sales have definitely fallen off as the economy continues to struggle, and this couldn’t happen at a worse time. My family is continuing to struggle, and we’ve had to take some drastic (legal) actions to make sure that we can keep a roof over our heads. Still, with me not able to find a “real” job, I know that I need to be making more money off of my writing, and this is putting a whole new kind of pressure on my craft. In the past, whatever I made was just extra money, but now, it needs to actually help us survive, and because of this, I’m finding it hard to write. This is a pressure I’ve never felt before, and I’m not always good at adapting to change…
Having said this, there are still some things that I’m getting written. I have a story that I’m writing for Boundary Shock Quarterly that’s almost done. When I started on it, I thought it would be about 4,000 words. I have one more revision to do, and it looks like it will be close to 7,500 words. Hopefully they like it! This has to be done by October 1st, so I’ve found myself able to focus with the deadline closing in on me.
Everything else I’m working on, whether it’s fiction or RPG titles, is nothing but a struggle. Maybe I need more deadlines in my life. I’ve tried to set artificial deadlines to see if that can stimulate my creativity, but my brain just laughs at that and ignores those deadlines.
For now, I will continue to try to get everything written that I can. We need the money, but I really don’t need this kind of pressure…but I guess that’s the world we live in. Maybe I’ll find a job soon, and I’ll find it easier to write. I know that sounds absurd, but that’s just me.
