aroslav: Blog

There's been so much happening in the world today that I'm rather late getting this post together to celebrate the end of Pussy Pirates. I was approached by a couple of Swarm authors four years ago about contributing to the universe but it seemed like an awesome challenge. I started by reading all the 270+ stories currently on SOL in the universe and then doodling notes. Then I read them all again and started writing. It took a few months to get the first draft written and the Swarm authors group was great about reading and commenting on it before I did a complete rewrite. Once that was done, the authors once again read, proofread, and commented. I made corrections and sent the story to my final proofreaders, cie-mel, Old Rotorhead, and Pixel the Cat. I owe a great deal to these guys for helping clean up my messes.

So, now I'm looking at what comes next. I am currently working on two additional Swarm Cycle stories. Of course, there is a continuation of Pussy Pirates planned. This story ends just before the epic battle of the third invasion fleet described in Akarge's Pyrrhic Victory. And just a month later, the fourth invasion fleet arrives and lands on Earth. I'm also working on a story that takes place on a remote planet where concubines outnumber sponsors by many times. It is called "The Assassin."

In the Swarm Cycle, published and accepted stories are considered "canon" and future stories must conform to what has been established. As such, I encourage you to read Zen Master's current offering, "Ending This Mess." This story will certainly affect any future offerings I make in the Swarm Universe. I'm looking forward to contributing again soon.

Until I get one of these stories ready, I have only one story running now, A Place at the Table by Wayzgoose. I'll try to get some more written as soon as possible.

You may not realize that some fans become as dear to us writers as writers become to their fans. And so I am truly saddened to have found out this morning about the passing of one of my most loyal fans and supporters. In addition to being active on SOL, he became a patron of mine three years ago at the "Book of the Month" tier level. I've sent him one of my paperbacks each month for nearly three years.

I received a note from his wife this morning. They had been married for 42 years. She continued by saying, "Thank you for the pleasure you gave him with your work." Please join me in sending your comfort and strength to her.

My last message from him was, "I'm definitely a fan, and I don't want to miss anything." I think, perhaps, that summed up his view on life as well.

Rest in peace, my friend.

Well, The Art and Science of Love--refresh finished posting yesterday and I want to thank those of you who sent me kind messages. The story has a special place for me since the original was the first story I posted online here at SOL.

There is one more chapter to come of Pussy Pirates on Tuesday this week and then that story will take a breather. I'm gratified that so many Swarm fans have made encouraging comments and have sent nice email. Yes, there will be more of that story and others in the Swarm Cycle. I'm glad you liked this contribution.

Wayzgoose's A Place at the Table still has a dozen chapters to go, so it will last into mid-February. I have started drafting the sequel, A Place Among Peers. These books take a while, so don't expect that until fall sometime.

So what am I posting next? I have no idea! I suppose it will be one of the four stories I currently have in progress. But I don't know for sure what will rise to the top first. The furthest along is my next Swarm story, The Assassin, but it still needs to pass final review with the Swarm Authors after I finish the rewrite. I doubt it will make it before March. I expect Drawing on the Dark Side of the Brain 2 to get finished sometime around then as well.

I am, however, still getting some other works pulled together for more general distribution. Today, all three books in the Hero Lincoln Trilogy in the Damsels in Distress universe are released on Bookapy.com. These three books, Sleight of Hand, Romancing the Clown, and Going for the Juggler, have never been released in eBook before. As an added bonus, all three are available in a single paperback volume. More of my backlist will be made available on Bookapy.com in the future.

So there is always something happening. I'm offering more to my patrons than ever before and even if I'm a little slow getting new books up here, they still appear here on SOL before I start releasing them to the general public. Enjoy!

I try not to brag about things like this, but so far, it's Day 10 of 2021 and I've been able to keep my New Year's Resolution not to kill anyone this year. Yay me! Although, I admit I've just started writing two new stories and there are several possible candidates if they piss me off.

The first new story is a sequel to Wayzgoose's A Place at the Table. I had a three-hour road trip on Monday and the characters started talking to me. I won't mention what they were saying because you may still be reading the first book and I don't want any spoilers. But I'm pleased with the first chapter I drafted.

The second new story is a sequel to aroslav's Drawing on the Dark Side of the Brain. I foresee a pretty bleak second year of college for Jett Blackburn and his harem. But surely there will be a lot of naked models waiting for him to apply paint. That might be one of the problems. I haven't written a chapter yet, but I'm working on the outline and may start the first draft this afternoon. I'm also re-reading the original so I can get the right voice and keep the characters consistent.

Then there's the rewrite I'm working on. By the end of 2020, I was able to finish the first draft of another Swarm Cycle story I'm pretty excited about. It's titled The Assassin and so far, I have five chapters rewritten. And I have two editing projects on my desktop for other authors. Nothing like making my time a premium!

I'm looking forward to an improvement in conditions in 2021, though I don't think we'll ever return to the same 'normal' we knew before the pandemic. Hopefully, it will be a new improved normal.

Carry on. Carry out. Carry over. Carry a tune. It's open carry season.

The five books and 237 chapters of The Transmogrification of Jacob Hopkins have come to an end as of today. It's been quite a ride. I started writing the story in November of 2018 with no idea how long it would be until the characters took on a life of their own while I was getting settled in Arizona for the winter. Then I couldn't stop writing, pumping out a chapter a day for about eight months.

I hadn't reached the end of the story when I started slowing down in July of 2019. In August I found out why as I was diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation. By the time I got to the end of the story in mid-September, I was only able to write for 15 minutes at a time before I'd fall asleep again. It was nearly the end of my story. I finally finished Double Team and went to Seattle to 'celebrate' my 70th birthday. Instead of celebrating, I was admitted to the emergency room and went in for immediate cardioversion. (They stop your heart and then restart it at the right rhythm.) I recovered.

I haven't been productive at the level of a chapter a day since then, but I'm happy to say that I've also produced the J-Hop short story "My Sex Slave" (https://storiesonline.net/s/22975/my-sex-slave) and five other serials that have been or are running on SOL. (Things I Never Told My Wife, Adams' Apples, The Props Master 2: A Touch of Magic, Pussy Pirates, and The Art and Science of Love--refresh)I also wrote a book by Nathan Everett (Wayzgoose) that will begin posting in this timeslot on Tuesday. A Place at the Table was posted in first rough draft last winter as "American Royalty". The story is so completely different than that draft after three rewrites that it will go up as a new story simultaneous to its release to the general public and SOL on December 22, 2020. It will be available in eBook form from Bookapy.

And I've not had a serious problem with my heart since October 2019. Knock on wood.

So, with the conclusion of Double Team, where am I going from here? I am nearly finished writing another Swarm Cycle story that will then be reviewed by the Swarm Authors forum and I'll completely rewrite. Then it will get posted here, I hope. The response to Pussy Pirates in that universe has been positive, so I'm very hopeful. I am doggedly determined to finish this new story, hopefully in the next week, so I can move on to another. I will begin one or more of several projects I've been toying with. We'll see where it goes. After all, I expect to spend most of the next four months in continued isolation as I look out across Puget Sound and watch the shipping traffic in and out of Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia.

Suffice it to say, I'm not dead and I am writing. More to come.

Thank you for your kind comments and reviews of Double Team.
aroslav