aroslav: Blog

I do a lot of updating of websites, Patreon, and blogs on Sundays. It just seems like the right time to get everything up to date. So that's why you always hear from me on Sundays.

What's that? You haven't heard from me? Oh. I must have been dreaming.

In my dream, I told you all about the progress I haven't been making on stories I'm trying to write. I did finish my new Swarm Cycle story and it is now in the hands of editors and proofreaders who are having a good time polishing it up. The story is titled The Assassin and I hope to start posting it as soon as the final comments and corrections come in.

The other three stories I've started since November have all been stalled for one reason or another. Mostly a vague-headedness resulting from being back in A-fib and planning on another ablation later this week. Weather has not been kind, either as I've stayed in the Pacific Northwest this winter and aside from the six inches of snow the past few days, it has been mostly just cold, rainy, and windy. I seldom get out of my trailer. And finally... I got hooked re-reading Dual Writer's entire "Florida Friends" series. It was still too good to put down and I spent a lot of writing time reading.

I'm hoping to get my self focused this week once my heart stops running away from me. I've managed a few words on the sequel to Drawing on the Dark Side of the Brain. I have a couple of chapters written on the sequel to Wayzgoose's A Place at the Table. With luck, this week I'll start making more progress.

In the meantime, it's Fat Tuesday. If I'm not mistaken, that means we get double tacos. Have a great Mardi Gras celebration!

I've been asked, both in email and in comments to collect the multiple story references in Pussy Pirates in a single bibliography so people could check them out after reading the story. I've been a little delayed in doing this as I haven't accomplished much in the past two weeks. But I got that button pushed today.

So, I've uploaded a new "Chapter 28" which is a bibliography of the stories I've referenced. Hopefully, the links, all to SOL stories, will come through as well. There were 13 stories referenced.

This is really a testament to all the Swarm Authors and to the rigorous monitoring the authors do of new material posted so it doesn't violate the "Swarm canon" of things that have gone before. Whenever I explored an aspect that might be near the border, I cited a reference to another author who made that possible. It's a great community to write in.

I've also changed the Bookapy ad at the end of the story. I put the ad up when I started releasing the story because the eBook was complete while the story was still serializing on SOL. The ad suggested that if you wanted the rest of the story right away, to buy the book. That caused at least one misunderstanding after the story was finished. While I'm all too happy to take your money to get the whole story faster than it posts on SOL, I will NEVER post a link to get the end of a story without finishing it here. I changed the wording of the ad so it is more understandable that the complete story has been posted on SOL and is also available as an eBook on Bookapy. If you've read the story here, there is no extended or new material in the eBook.

I'll mention as well that I have released The Hero Lincoln Trilogy in Lazlo Zalezac's "Damsels in Distress" universe on Bookapy. This is part of my effort to make all my stories available as eBooks eventually. It is not a new version of the story, though I may have corrected a few typos in the eBook. If you've read Sleight of Hand, Romancing the Clown, and Going for the Juggler on SOL, the eBooks are simply a means of supporting the author and adding the stories to your home library.

As always, thank you for your support in comments, email, and voting. If you've not yet nominated your favorites from 2020 for a Clitorides Award, now is a good time to do so. Look for the yellow bar at the top of this page!

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!