My ebook goals for the next year

I have a ton of projects that I don’t have the time to fully work on.  Usually I’ll work on one for a bit, then move to another, and then a third, and so on.  I’ve tried focusing on one or two, but then I get ideas for a third and fourth, and things quickly unravel.  Every now and then I’ll make a list of what I want to focus on, although I don’t always keep to it. (Check A look back on my projects list to see how I did the last time.)  My newest attempt at focusing was to list the next three ebooks I want to get out sometime either later this year or early next year.  So hopefully you’ll be able to buy these soon. 

“Seventh Story Stockpile”

Over the years, I’ve self-published several stories on websites that are no longer around.  Since there are few publishers that will take such previously published stories, my best hope is to just publish a collection of them.  I’m also adding in a few unpublished stories that – for one reason or another – I’d think I’d have a hard time finding a publisher for.  This would be my seventh collection of stories, and I like the idea of having a story stockpile.

I’m polishing up stories for this and I hope to have it out by late summer or in the fall.

“Travels Beyond Imagination”

I am a big supporter of returning to the moon, as can be seen in my collection of essays “The Moon Before Mars: Why returning to the moon makes more sense than rushing off to Mars.” I’ve also done a collection of stories set on the moon, “A Cabin Under a Cloudy Sea and other stories.” “Travels Beyond Imagination” is the same idea, a collection of stories all set on the moon.  The main one being “Travels BeyondImagination” which I posted on this blog about a year-and-a-half ago.  It has been slightly revised for this new collection.

I have some stories done for this, I just need to write a few more and then polish them all up.  My hope is to get it out next winter.

Scars of the Blood Fire Valley: Book I of the Pathfinder Saga

Seventy-three years ago, King Iti led his army – consisting of humans, centaurs, and dragons – into a valley after the army of his son, the Rogue Prince.  The Prince’s army consisted of humans and centaurs, along with vile aoes, ranks, and goblins.  At some point during the battle, a dark magic was unleashed setting alight the blood of all the beings within the valley.  The only witness was a young boy named Linde who was running to see the battle, but was in the next valley over and was shielded from the magic.

Since then nobody has seemed all that interested in finding out what really happened at the Battle of the Blood Fire Valley: that it was dark magic seems enough of an answer to most people.  But now Linde’s granddaughter Loma – driven by curiosity as well as her family’s connection – is leading an expedition to the valley to try to dig up some clues as to what happened so long ago.  Of course, it’s said that the dragons know exactly what happened, but they’ll only tell people what they already know.  What answers, and peril, will Loma find?

(Working blurb for this.)

This started as a simple idea of a story about a scientific expedition in a fantasy world.  It was meant to be a standalone story, but as I was wrapping it up I realized that if I just modified a scene a bit I could turn it into a series.  And now I have a rough outline following the main character Loma from the time she’s 22 until she’s in her eighties.  I wrote a bit about this series just over a year ago with my post Don’t leave home without your … dragon card?

I have a rough draft of Scars done, but I do need to make some changes to set things up better for the rest of the series.  I’m also, maybe a fifth of the way through Book II, “What’s Found in the Wilderness.” My hope is to get enough of the series worked out so I can drop in appropriate clues and have Scars polished up enough to publish it about a year from now.

Stay tuned and see how I do.