Good day,
So, I learned a valuable lesson recently. It was poor planning on my part to conclude a story during a time when I have exactly zero free time to read and reply to comments and questions.
The weeks surrounding Christmas are hectic in my little corner of the universe and the multitude of additional hats I wear must take precedence over my hobbies (including what I do on SOL).
Once again, I apologize for my lax email skills and for seeming as though I don't care about comments or questions that come from the reader.
I do care ... I just don't care as much as I care about other aspects of my life.
I hope that wasn't too blunt but it's how life works sometimes.
The recent queries regard what comes next so I'll address that now.
In four weeks, I'll begin posting Learning Curves ... a Taming of the Shrew sort of story set on a modern college campus. I'll give a better preview as the release date comes nearer.
It's another long story and, if my admittedly deficient math skills are up to the task, it should conclude around Thanksgiving.
Like the Regan and Andy saga, Learning Curves will have a second part to the story, likely appearing in 2020 or 2021.
Why the wait?
This is one of two stories left on my hard drive that my longtime collaborator BlackIrish assisted with before his untimely passing last year.
The other, set in a Medieval world, will begin about six weeks after Learning Curves wraps. It's shorter and will end in Summer 2018. That will give me time to finalize Unimaginable Lives for release in late fall of 2018.
After Lives, I plan to take a short respite from the site. At that point, I will have been posting almost constantly for three years.
My wife and I both will turn 50 in 2019. The last of the in-home children will be out into the world and we plan to relax and enjoy a bit of life and togetherness.
I know me pretty well.
Except for a brief "out-of-body" experience in September and October 1979, I've been around me my entire life. It's all I can do to put up with me sometimes.
I imagine being "together" with me alone for a few months will pretty much drive my wife batty. But I plan to enjoy those few months to the fullest because, unlike me, she is actually a pleasant person to be around.
The break will be short, likely no longer than a year, but it will push back the second half of Learning Curves.
So, there you have it, my plans for the next four years. But, as always, those plans are subject to change without notice.
Take care,
Jay C.