1:35am

Yeah… we’re far enough past midnight that I’m not even considering trying to fudge the post date/time on this one.  🤣

It’s been a little over a month since I last posted. In that time, I’ve made nice progress on Torvalin, which you can see on the Home page. I’m thinking that I will finish principle composition sometime between today and the end of next week. I’ll do a read-through after that and then a low-hanging fruit pass… and then, it will be off to the editor.

I also have my notes for Vorcalix mostly fleshed out. I’ve never been an outliner as such, but it’s nice to know where I’m going and have a rough idea of how I’m getting there.

As a bridge novel, Torvalin is kind of a watershed moment for Alex and his crew. Fundamental changes happen over the course of the novel that really set the stage for what happens in Vorcalix and Sol. I’m going to have so much fun writing Sol. I’m really looking forward to that one.

Since I’ve been focusing so heavily on Shepherd Security Services this year, 2026 will probably be the catch-up year. I’m thinking I’ll finish Tribunal (Sorcerous Pursuits #3) and the last two Primogenitor novels (Vincit & Omnia). What time I have left over from those (hopefully a decent amount) will be put toward starting the final Drakmoor quintet. That series has been sitting too long, and as much as I don’t want to finish it (because my first novel started it and, therefore, it’s my first series), there are several scenes in it that I’ve been smiling about for years.

The time has come to complete the series.

Once upon a time, the plan was to do with Drakmoor what David Eddings did with his Belgariad world. Two quintets and a prequel duology. I was going to have the prequel duology cover the Godswar. As I’ve moved deeper into my writing career, I’ve decided that I’ll be happy with the two quintets. I think that’s where Drakmoor should be/end.

I’m not going to speculate where I’ll go from there, but I will return to Shepherd Security Services from time to time. After Sol, that series will become more episodic in nature, with each book telling the story of a specific job without much of an overarching storyline. That will be new territory for me, and I’m looking forward to it.

I think epic, overarching storylines are almost part of my DNA… so we’ll see how well I manage it… but that’s the long-term goal for the Shepherd series anyway.

I’m closing Primogenitor at six books for a couple of reasons, the most significant of which is the fact that I want to write a shifter series in my Draco-Verse shared world. I’m envisioning shifters working very differently in that world than they do in the Primogenitor Saga… plus… they won’t be a secret from the world at large.

I have a couple more series in mind for the Draco-Verse, not counting the series that inspired the idea, and I’m just as excited about them.

I have no idea when I’ll write all of these. If I could, I’d write them all… at the same time… which is why I keep trying to create that consistent, daily writing habit. It would be a lot easier to get through my story idea backlog if I averaged 3,000 words per day (or more) across the calendar year.

All right. I’ve rambled on long enough. If you’re reading this, thanks for sticking with me.

I hope the days treat you and yours well. Stay safe out there.