Real News of Fictional Worlds in the New Year, January 2019
New year, new people, newsletter
As I launch into the new year, I realize many of you are are new to my newsletter. Let’s introduce ourselves. I’m a science fiction and fantasy author who loves to pursue ideas as far as they will go. My favorite writers include Robert Heinlein, Philip K. Dick, Jack Vance, Lee Child, Stephen Colbert, Arundhati Roy, Hunter S. Thompson, Garth Ennis, Patton Oswalt and Robert Anton Wilson.
What stories do you like, who do you like to read, and what do you like to do? If you feel like it, respond to this newsletter and tell me a bit about yourselves.
The year to come
New Year’s resolutions are great, but I really like the idea of New Year’s plans. What specific new things are we going to do, and when?
So in the week before or after January 1st I sit down with a calendar and plan it out. I give what seems like a reasonable amount of time on a monthly basis to what I want done that month. And I very specifically include spacing for friends, family, holidays, events, and just room for me to breathe.
The year as it happens will *naturally* end up being different in some ways. To paraphrase Eisenhower, no battle plan survives the start of battle. But when you have a plan, your forces are already in order. You can shift them much more easily to take advantage of unexpected opportunities and work around unplanned obstacles. You can adjust and move forward, and most importantly get more fun things done that you want to do.
So here’s to all of your goals and deeds, and joys and peace, large and small, in the upcoming 2019.
Fresh For 2019
In my specific plans, I have 11 manuscripts moving towards completion. My goal is to release all of them this year – and maybe more. Six of these are books in continuing series, 3 are stand-alone works, and 2 are first books in entirely new series and genres – 1 in military SF and 1 in epic fantasy.
Also, since I first began indie publishing in earnest about a year ago, I have had enough success with my agglomeration of writing and production methods that I’m putting them together into an ebook. I’m looking at doing some presentations and panels discussing these and similar methods in upcoming conferences.
We’ll see how it goes. 🙂
Fun From Day 1
I’ve already gotten to have quite a lot of fun. All of these pictures were taken New Year’s Day.
(If you can’t see any of these images, select “Display images below” or similar in your email viewer. Alternately you can view this newsletter here upon the interwebs.)
 Putting a disco ball on a forklift and raising the roof to the sky. |
 Mixing art, technology and fun in any way they like. |
 Bouncing into a brand new year. |
| My book Two-Fisted Jesus Tales, Book 1: The Book of the Job is in the It’s a Strange World promotion until January 22nd.
Also the sequel is on my list to complete and release this year!
|
From January 1 to January 15th, my horror/fantasy novella Lessons Learned is in the Dark Start to 2019 promotion. It’s also collected in my short story collection Hyperspace Radio, which heretofore unmentioned supervillain the Evil Reverend Dr. Cosmotron called “An entertaining overview of realities I look forward to destroying.”
 |
 |
 |
|
And my novella Ghost Magnet, the first in my series Crime and Magic in the New Russia, is in Fantasy Firsties until January 31st. It’s also still available with other fine books in the Winter Fantasy Reads promotion until January 9th.
 |
 |
 |
I’m on Bookbub, and in addition to listing my own books I’ve started writing reviews of some of my favorite others’ works. If you’d like to follow me there, click below.
The first of my 11 planned releases for this year is a hard-boiled detective story set in Hell. The working title is “Deviled”. I hope to have more information and a release date by the time of my next newsletter.
That’s me for this month. : )