Hi, folks, and thanks for all the mail you've been sending my way. I usually try to reply to each email personally, but right now I'm in a deadline crunch, so I thought I'd give you all a quick update in blog form.
Life has been extraordinarily busy. I had planned on finishing my SF novel in January or February, but I overran my projected word count by 20,000 words. Also, real life has a way of intervening, as any writer will readily tell you. I've had to spend all my time on getting this novel finished while taking care of two little kids at the same time, and dealing with the maintenance around the house in our lovely New England winter. SOL had to take a back seat because I didn't have any time to spare for the non-paid work.
Well, the SF novel is just about in the mail (currently writing the epilogue), and then I can think about picking up where I left off. I realize that First Drafts hasn't been updated in almost a year, so I guess I ought to return to that story first. (I have half of Chapter 3 on my hard drive, so it'll be a running start at least.)
I've thought about putting up a PayPal address for those of you who have offered to send money, but I've ultimately decided against it. When the SF novel is on the shelf, I'll let you all know, and then you can go out and buy that one. If I start taking money for my stories here on SOL, I will feel obligated to dance to someone else's tune, and I'd rather keep it a fun outlet for my non-commercial stuff.
(That said, I've shopped both A Bettered Life and Fringe Benefits around a bit, and you may see one or both in print or commercial eBook format before too long, in which case you're perfectly welcome and encouraged to buy a copy.)
Well, enough blathering from my end. I'll pick up work on FD again in the next few weeks, and get poor, neglected Erica out of the dorm room where she's been browsing the web and scarfing down Pringles and Ramen noodles for almost a year now...