2022 came and went. 2023 is here. So, let me tell you about what happened this year and what (I think) is gonna happen next.

 

Status of Song of the Raptors

First and foremost: what’s the deal with Song of the Raptors? If you know me or have followed me for awhile, you’ll know my sci-fi western book was shipped out to editors about a year and a half ago. So, what’s the status?

Unfortunately, my answer is a shrug. Contrary to what you might hear, getting agent representation doesn’t mean your book is guaranteed to get published. There’s a lot of other factors at play from market trends to editor preferences and on and on and on. Suffice it to say, Raptors has had a hard time finding a home. I’ve read some great feedback on it from editors. Some of them outright loved it. But, in most cases, publishers declared that they “don’t know how to sell it.” 

“What?!” you cry. “How do they not know how to sell a sci-fi western with velociraptors?!”

Again, my answer is a shrug. Them’s the breaks. It’s tough for me to acknowledge since I’ve hyped this story up for years. I debated being transparent about this, but when it comes to writing and publishing, I’ve learned it’s important to talk about both highs and lows. I won’t tell you Raptors will never see the light of day, but right now the news is that there’s no news.

 

A New Short Story

On the other hand, I did find a way to give you all a glimpse into the world of Eckus VI, the planet on which Song of the Raptors is set.

In between projects, I was struck by an idea to write a short story set in the same world as Raptors. I wanted to give readers a taste of my writing style and the world. I also wanted to make sure the story could stand on its own. The end result is Pepperdam Luck: Tales from Eckus VI. 

I’m very proud of this story. It was a lot of fun to write (and narrate!). The feedback I’ve received since its release in the summer has warmed my heart. Thank you to each and every one of you who read it, talked about it, or shared it.

If you haven’t read it yet, go to this page here. It’s available in audio as well.

 

My New Book

Last year, I shared that I’d finished a new stand-alone fantasy book, unrelated to Raptors. I spent a lot of time this year revising and editing that story. I won’t say much about it’s status or what’s happening with it in 2023 because, frankly, I don’t know yet. I can, however, tell you a bit about it.

The working title is The Ten of Shrike & Krait. I was inspired by ensemble team-up stories like Seven Samurai, The Magnificent Seven, Ocean’s 11, 13 Assassins, and Captain America: Civil War. At the story’s center are two teams: one is a crafty, clandestine kind of group, while the other is mostly warriors for hire. These two groups become embroiled in a centuries-long conflict between two noble houses. It’s the kind of story where former friends find themselves on opposite sides of the battlefield, the kind of story where a small group of extraordinary people faces overwhelming odds.

I’ll you more about it sometime.

 

What I’m Working On

I have a feeling most of 2023 will be spent revising The Ten of Shrike & Krait, which is what I spent most of 2022 doing. This is all dandy with me since it’ll make the book even better, but by the last quarter of 2022, I was craving something new. In late September, I finally got the chance.

V.E. Schwab has said she thinks of her ideas as sitting on different burners. Some burners have the heat turned all the way up, some are just simmering, some still need ingredients thrown in. I’ve had an idea simmering on the burner for quite some time, and I decided that I was ready to give it my full attention. I won’t say much about it other than it’s a fantasy book, this time more in the vein of Castlevania, Van Helsing, The Witcher, and a movie called Black Death starring Sean Bean (which, if you haven’t seen, is worth a watch for some medieval horror). I’ve made some good progress on it so far, and it’s great to see ideas that have been marinating for so long finally take shape. I’m sure progress will be disrupted more than once, but I’m not worried about that now. I’m just trying to enjoy the ride.

 

What Lies Ahead

I honestly have no idea what 2023 will bring. Apart from writing this new story and doing revisions, there’s not much else that I can say. But hey, maybe this time next year I’ll be writing a more exciting retrospective. Fingers crossed.

 

Favorite Things

Here are some books/movies/shows/games that I enjoyed this year. If anything is omitted, it’s probably because I haven’t gotten to experience it yet.

 

Books:

Rhythm of War by Brandon Sanderson

Kings of the Wyld by Nicholas Eames

The Burning God by R.F. Kuang

Star Wars: Brotherhood by Mike Chen

Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller

Mythos by Stephen Fry

Golden Son by Pierce Brown

The Watchers by A.M. Shine

11/22/63 by Stephen King

 

Movies:

Prey

Glass Onion

Everything Everywhere All At Once

Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness

Thirteen Lives

The Batman

Nope

 

TV Shows:

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

House of the Dragon

Obi-Wan Kenobi

Andor

Interview With The Vampire

1883 (Okay I’m actually only halfway through but I love it).

 

Video Games:

Pokemon Legends: Arceus

Darkest Dungeon (again)

Hades

Ghosts of Tsushima