| 2 3 | > |
I’m still around. I have had a few messages asking. This year has been the busiest in memory for me, taking over a new role with significant responsibility. At the same time, we have been dealing with some major illness with our youngest child - thankfully we don’t live in the US or the hospital trips and specialist bills would have bankrupted us.
Still, it’s basically put any writing progress on hold since February. I’ve plotted two novel-length stories and bookmarked the source material for another anthology of Japanese Internet confessions but there just hasn’t been the opportunity to do the work that is writing it down.
In the meantime, everything is up at Bookapy and although I didn’t enter this year, you can still read my magical body-swap story from last year’s Halloween contest here on SoL.
The games are about to begin, and athletes in Paris will not have access to chicken nuggets. The organisers claim it’s for health reasons that McDs are banned, but I wonder if someone didn’t read ‘Off The Deep End’ as a cautionary tale.
I have had a few messages querying my status. I am still alive, I haven’t been writing for myself at all since January. I started a new middle-management role this year, overhauling another department that was neglected. I am doing well and my bosses are happy but the workload is still high.
There is a lot of compliance with national and state legislation, and the internal systems are woefully out of date so after 4-5 hours of editing and rewriting compliance manuals, plus an hour or more commute home to put children to sleep basically means I have no time. I plot though, so hopefully my end of year summer vacation will allow me to finish something to share with you.
I have been receiving a slow trickle of lovely messages and mail about Off The Deep End from first-time readers, off the of Clitorides nominations for Long Erotic Story of The Year (vote here) and Best Romantic Story (vote here). Many of them have been “I can’t believe it doesn’t have a high score on SOL!” - I appreciate that. I suspect it’s the lingering effects of certain categories of reader that didn’t like it took me 7-8 years to finish, or the vocal ones who thought that James should have been more alpha. Sorry. I’m not G Younger (who writes fabulous characters and works of that nature - check them out).
If you have enjoyed it, perhaps consider buying a copy of Off The Deep End at Bookapy? Or if you have bought it, leave a Bookapy review? Or even a SOL review?
Off The Deep End has been nominated in two categories - Long Erotic Story of The Year (vote here) and Best Romantic Story (vote here). Thank you for the nominations. It’s wonderful to know that people enjoy my work that much. I am currently still progressing on three new lengthy stories, but have my quiet writing time curtailed by a return to middle management (which includes a bit of travel) as well as supporting my wife as we try to keep the wheels on with two kids under the age of five. Perhaps consider buying a copy of Off The Deep End at Bookapy? Or checking out my other work. I do love to get a message or review to stoke the motivation flame when everything is bleak and grindy.
Off The Deep End has passed 130 000 downloads! I know that means every individual chapter, but still - at least 100 000 times, someone chose to click on my work and read it. That is honestly amazing and humbling to me. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. And if you like it, consider purchasing from Bookapy so my wife will let me write more.
I started a new work role in December which has me taking over from someone who was less than diligent or capable, so I am doing a lot of rebuilding and repairing the shop whilst we are at full speed. It also comes with a huge amount of compliance and audit work, so I am easily spending 7-8 hours a day in front of the computer at work writing and revising stuff designed to keep a bunch of folks out of jail (including myself), on top of a lot of stakeholder management. A LOT of organisational relationships to repair and strengthen.
This just means I’ve written nothing of my own for the past month, but my fingers and brain are getting itchy so I will just figure it out. Maybe I can start a meth habit so I don’t need as much sleep…
| 2 3 | > |