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I usually try to keep blog posts to a monthly schedule; don’t want to clog the activity feed. But wow, my eternal gratitude. Talk about a success; the sale at zBookstore is amazing. To all of you who’ve been generous, thank you from the very bottom of my heart. That you’ve chosen to spare a few bucks to support my efforts means so much. The muses are dancing in the halls.
As noted last week, more wondrous words are headed your way.
The warmest of holiday hugs.
Ivey
From the bottom of my heart, I wish you all the very best for the season. As is my tradition, given that SOL and its associated bookstore, zBookstore have been my coziest home, all my work on the latter will be reduced a week earlier than at other venues.
Many asked when I first arrived here how best to keep the muses in halfway-decent bourbon and help with my runaway coffee habit. If you’ve enjoyed my wird skribblz and see fit to toss a few bucks into my well-worn hat, thank you very much. Indeed, my gratitude for any support, even if simply kind words, is bottomless.
As many of you are well aware, having suffered through my earlier blog posts, this has been a long, twisting journey. Engaged readers, witty critics, and the most delightful followers, either here, on “The Yards,” my Discord server, or those who email me, are the reasons I continue to share my stories.
In 2026, I expect the next novel, based on a SOL reader’s concept, to launch toward the end of January. Seven more will follow, plus new short stories, either standalone ala “The Student – 2,” or as part of a new series. Alongside six novel rough drafts, several novellas—a new structural concept for me—are in The Yards for editing. They should also find their way to the interwebz beginning next year.
Although I remain an unapologetic hobby author, one not chasing any particular niche, my pledge remains the same: polish my skills, write better prose, build better characters, and structure better stories.
Hugs to every last one of you.
Ivey
A stillness came upon the smoke-filled vale.
On a hidden horizon, the sun was but a golden smudge.
Among shattered trees, ranks formed once more.
The creak of leather, the clink of gear, none was carried on the acrid air.
No words were spoken, nor orders given.
Yet, shoulder-to-shoulder, the march of countless well-worn boots began.
As the final parade always does, silent, measured and never ending.
“The Yards” has been focused on the rough draft of a SOL reader-inspired tale. As such, “Naughty Irene” will skip to the head of the line, being edited in January and launching in time for Valentine’s Day. After all, though a kinky, steamy wife-sharing story, it is a romance.
Although NaNoWriMo met its demise earlier this year, I’m sticking to the routine. However, instead of a novel, I’ll be writing the next pair of novellas in a trilogy. “Collaborator” is a good old sci-fi alien invasion story based around Tori Ellis, a struggling middle-aged wife and mother of an only son snatched away by a drunk driver. She’s a wonderful character to explore; her thought processes, escapades and the world-building have been a joy to detail. If the trilogy is successful, I can foresee following her forward for many more adventures.
One more thing. Mark your calendars. The annual Holiday sale will begin on 30 November and run through December.
Right, enhanced coffee in hand, I’m off to skribble wirdz. Come on, muses, let’s go have some fun!
Hugs to all.
Ivey
The good news is my latest novel left preorder last week and is available at zBookstore. The bad news is the twenty-two chapters for “Runner’s Prize” were originally scheduled for free release beginning this week, but that won’t be happening until May.
In a nutshell, the recent changes to posting policy on SOL affect all my future content. Should a story include an advertisement for purchase of the complete work on zBookstore and is auto-uploaded, it will be penalized, having to compete for limited launch slots and hence, be delayed. That means I cannot guarantee posts will arrive on schedule, especially given my tendency to have three or four concurrent releases. Competing for those limited slots is unfair to the other authors kind enough to share their hard work on SOL.
It’s not my place to discuss the reasons for this change; this is Lazeez’s decision. As site owner, he’s dealing with much larger issues while I’m only a tiny fish in a little pond at the edge of the internet, being bombarded by LLM-generated crap. (No, I refuse to use the marketing bro word “AI” for LLMs, which have been around for a long time.)
At the end of the day, I shall continue to skribble wirdz. The challenge remains how best to share them with others. My release schedule for completed works is now flattened and stretches into 2028.
As always, for more detailed discussions on this and other topics, contact me at The Yards.
Warmest hugs,
Ivey (continuing to fan the darkest, naughtiest of flames)
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