Been a while in between posts. Sorry for that. Spent a week out West traveling with my family (and enjoying a memorable birthday in the Grand Canyon).
But I’m back now, feeling refreshed and eager to work. As I’ve mentioned before (here and elsewhere) this is an odd year for me. Aside from “The Tavern Fire” (now out in the After Hours anthology) I have no original book releases this calendar year. The third book of my most recent trilogy (written under another name) comes out in December, but in terms of writing, that series is a bit old.
Fortunately, I have lots of other projects keeping me busy now. Thieftaker is in production, and still on schedule for a May 2012 release. The second (as yet untitled) book in the Chronicles of the Thieftaker is complete and with my editor. I have recently finished work on a middle reader book and have sent it off to my agent to get her opinion on it. And I have just started a new contemporary urban fantasy. In fact, I completed chapter 1 today.
There are times when I like to throw myself fully into a single project. While I was writing the first two Thieftaker books, I steeped myself in that world, and was happy to do so. I loved the stories, the characters, the research. I’m looking forward to getting back to that series eventually. But right now I’m flitting from project to project, like a hummingbird darting from feeder to feeder. And I’m loving it. Everything feels fresh, new, exciting. There is no pressure — I have no deadlines except those I’ve given myself. I’m free to write what I want when I want to. I wouldn’t want to work this way all the time. Deadlines mean contracts and contracts mean money. I’m a businessman, after all. I do this for a living. But for now, this freedom feels great.