Setting a novel aside

I’ve been working on a new novel for a while now, and I have reluctantly decided that I need to set it aside, at least for now. The further I’ve gotten into the novel, the more I’ve realized that it’s progressing in far too linear of a format. The book is way too predictable, and I’ve made it too obvious as to where everything is going. And since I can’t figure out how to fix it at the moment, I’ve decided it’s best to just stop working on it.

Not to worry, however, I am now working on a sequel to A Problem in Translation. I’m currently rereading the original book so that I can get to know the characters again, since it’s been a long time since I’ve worked with them.

This means that the amazingly annoying Lemec will be making a return, and everyone’s favorite Kulnar, Grisan will also be coming back. There will be all new worlds to explore, and a few new alien species will also be on display. And, of course, the humans you all knew and loved…or hated will also be there. No Senator Washburn this time though, but maybe I need to come up with another annoying and dangerous politician…there are definitely enough examples to draw upon.

Obviously, since I’ve just started work, I’m not sure when the novel will be ready, especially since this one, like the original will have world building that requires math. Yes, science fiction authors actually do use math to create their worlds…at least this one does, because I need them to be believable.

Authors are not their characters

While it is true that authors may include parts of themselves (or others) in their characters, it should never be assumed that their characters are actually portrayals of some part of their personality. Unfortunately, I see many readers saying that an author has a racist, or sexist, or whatever character, therefore they must be racist, sexist, etc. No, this isn’t the case. Authors use all kinds of characters, even some that are the antithesis of their own belief systems, but many readers still want to say that a racist (or whatever) character means that the author HAS to be this way.

I will freely admit that there are a lot of really crappy people among authors, even in speculative fiction, which is usually one of the most inclusive genres (or groups of genres), but we can just leave them to the side for now…and we all know who they are. This doesn’t mean that all speculative authors are like this, even the ones that include prejudiced characters.

If I have a story in which my character is expressing homophobic or transphobic ideas, this doesn’t mean that those are my views, especially if the character is the antagonist, although I have seen some examples of protagonists that have similar views, but they usually overcome them, which is a big part of the story. I will include characters, especially antagonists, that have some truly horrible views of a marginalized group or groups, but I’m usually doing this to cast them in a bad light, or to give my protagonist one more reason to “defeat” them.

The idea of saying an author is expressing their own views in their characters seems to be a more recent development, and it’s one I don’t understand. I’ve known authors that have created characters that truly hated non-white men, but the authors themselves were some of the most wonderful people I’ve ever met, even the white men! (Just kidding)

I often write characters that express racism, or some other form of prejudice, but I don’t agree with these characters. It’s more of a political commentary, and I think it’s a great way to comment on our screwed up society. I, personally, have never received this kind of backlash, probably because I’m pretty small time, but I have seen others get attacked for things I know they don’t believe. Please, do not automatically ascribe a character’s viewpoint to the author. They aren’t usually the same.

Again, I know that there are some truly horrible people writing science fiction and fantasy, even bestsellers, that use the money they make to attack the marginalized, and I think this is absolutely horrible. Not all of us are doing this however. Personally, I use characters that attack the marginalized in an effort to bring awareness of these kinds of attacks to light, and to try to show that it doesn’t matter what a person’s skin color is, or what their religious beliefs are, or what their sexual orientation is, or how they identify sexually, or if they are disabled, or whatever. We’re all people, and that’s what matters. So, please please please make sure you know what an author truly believes before you attack them for having a despicable character. While that could be a part of their personality, most often, it’s not.

End of rant

A fiction sale at DriveThruFiction

My family is continuing to struggle financially, so to try to help us out, I’m making all of my titles at DriveThruFiction available for 50% off. Check out the sale at https://www.drivethrufiction.com/en/publisher/16618/

If you’ve ever thought about reading any of my fiction…novels, collections, even individual short stories, there couldn’t be a better time!

d6 RPG Bundle at RPG Trader

If you like to play RPGs, but you don’t like using a bunch of different dice, RPG Trader has the bundle for you. For a limited time, you can download more than 100 titles, including the original Ephemeris RPG, for just $25 at https://rpg-trader.com/products/8344/d6-only-games-bundle. All of these games use only a six sided die, none of the other crazy polyhedral dice.

Of course, if you want to pay more, that’s always an option, and the extra money goes to the creators, so if you’re looking for a new game, now is the time to download this amazing bundle.

Taking care of a sick kitty

I’ve been absent from just about everything for the last couple of weeks as I’ve been nursing a very sick kitty back to health. Eclypse, the little calico in the picture developed a severe infection, and almost died. I noticed her acting strange late on a Wednesday night, and by Thursday afternoon, I knew there was something very wrong. When my wife got home that night, we took her to the emergency vet, and they determined that she had an infected uterus and needed to be spayed within a couple of days. When we got home from the vet at 11:30 that night, we spent the next two hours trying to find a place that would be able to do it on Friday, and wouldn’t cost us a fortune. The emergency vet could have done it, but it would have been $6,000-$8,000, and considering that we’re still struggling to pay our rent and put food on the table, this simply wasn’t an option.

We finally found a place that would take her early Friday, so we dropped her off and waited. The first few nights were really touch and go because she was so sick, and she’s such a little thing. At her heaviest, she’s about seven pounds. It had always been our intention to get her spayed, but once she was old enough and big enough, we simply couldn’t afford it, and we couldn’t really afford it at this point, but letting her die was never an option. Our cats are our family, and we will do everything we can to protect them, and that includes getting fewer groceries for the next few weeks.

While it was a family effort to nurse her back to health, it mostly fell on me. For those of you that know cats, you know that when they live with multiple humans, they will usually pick one of these people as their person, and the rest are spares. Well, I’m Eclypse’s person. She has always been very attached to me, and during all of this, she became even more attached, so she’s been sleeping on me, and I’ve let her, no matter how uncomfortable it made me. At this moment, she is laying on a cat hutch right next to my chair at my desk, and she’s been here since I started working this morning.

So, this has been my last couple of weeks. I’m happy to say that she is now on the mend, if we can just protect her from herself. She’s a very high energy cat, and she now once again thinks it’s time to run and jump on everything…but at least she’s healing.

Bestseller for July 2026

This was one of the worst months that I’ve had in a very long time, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time for me and my family. Still, I did at least sell a few books. My bestseller for July 2026 was

The Ephemeris 2.0 RPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/497132/

Writing myself into a corner

Nearly every author I’ve ever met knows what I mean when I say that I’ve written myself into a corner. The new novel I’m working on is proceeding in a very linear manner, and while this might sound like a good thing, it actually isn’t. Too much has been telegraphed early, and it’s taking away from the suspense. As it’s going right now, it will be very easy to figure out where it’s proceeding and how it will all work out…and I’m not sure how to really go about fixing it at the moment.

As a result, I need to either rethink the whole novel, or scrap it. Not sure what the best option is at this point.

Sometimes, I really hate writing.

WIPs

Just in case you’re interested, I thought I’d update you on what I’m currently working on.

I know lots of writers prefer to work on one project so that they can stay completely focused on that. I’m not that writer. I like to have too much on my plate, and as long as each work is significantly different from the others, I don’t seem to have a problem jumping from one to the other.

So, just what am I working on? I’m currently on the third chapter of a novel which is tentatively titled Destiny Manifested. I’m also working on a short story for Boundary Shock Quarterly. At the same time, I’m working on an RPG supplement for Ephemeris 2.0, and another supplement for the Divided States of America RPG. And at the same time, I’m making notes for a new adventure for the Rocks on the Other Side RPG. This is a follow up adventure to Caves of Hopelessness, which was just released by Nomadic Delirium Press.

That should be enough to keep me busy for a while…

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to mention that I’m also working on notes to fix a short story that I started on a while ago, but never quite worked out for me. I’m not sure if this will turn into anything, but all of the others should be available for your perusal in the months and years to come.

Caves of Hopelessness

From the Nomadic Delirium Press Blog:

Towns near the hills have been raided recently by a very organized group of bandits. They’ve abducted citizens, and taken property from the small towns that are unable to defend themselves. Your party has been combing the hills looking for these bandits, and maybe now you’ve gotten the break you need.

Caves of Hopelessness is an adventure for the Rocks on the Other Side RPG designed for characters of 4^th-6^th levels.

Order from DriveThruRPG: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/en/product/577828/

Order from RPG Trader: https://rpg-trader.com/products/7664/

Can writers change their style?

One of the biggest critiques I’ve faced as a writer is that I’m not descriptive enough. Many say that my writing almost reads like a play…and there is some truth to this. I’ve never really enjoyed reading flowery writing, so obviously I wouldn’t write in this way. However, I am realizing, in my old age, that maybe my writing isn’t as descriptive as it could be. Maybe the sky needs to be more than just blue, for example.

So, I’ve taken a step back with the novel I’m working on, and I’m working on the description a bit more…not a lot more…just a bit. Maybe this will make for better writing. I don’t know. It’s not really my call. I’ve always thought of myself more as a storyteller than a writer, but I’m giving it my best to change this.

Will it work? Can you teach an old dog new tricks? I guess we’ll have to wait and see. Hopefully the new novel will be out early next year…unless I get a huge surge of creative energy, which is difficult given everything going on around me, but I will try. I promise you that. I will try!