The State Of Things to Come - djedwardson.com

The State Of Things to Come

something in the genre of imagination

Welcome to the brand new format for my newsletter! I finally figured out a way to connect my web site to my email. And let me tell you it wasn’t easy. Had to roll up some virtual sleeves to get it done, but I’m thrilled to finally get back in the groove with these updates.

Some animals hibernate in winter, but I feel like I’ve been hibernating for most of the summer. Yes, I did have a wonderful vacation and I also finished building a tree house in our back yard (which was harder than writing a novel), but the writing, well…that’s where I took a few blows to the chin, so to speak. Book 3 of The Chronotrace Sequence was supposed to have been well on its way to release by now. The cover is ready, the book was sent off to the editor months ago, and I had contacted beta readers telling them to expect the manuscript soon. I thought I had done everything right. Based on the way the process for the first two books had gone, I was confident it would be out by the fall. And then the wheels came off. The book release got pushed back and then pushed back again. At this point it’s still with the editor and I’m not even sure it will be out by the end of the year.

And because everything was so up in the air, I put the brakes on my newsletter as well. There just didn’t seem to be much to share. But I think I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that to a large degree my writing career is out of my hands. I can’t rush things out the door and still deliver a quality product (well, I could, but that would be doing a disservice to my readers) so instead I sit here and wait. But on this side of patience, I’ve learned to actually be glad. Because this bend in the road has allowed me to head in new directions.

One of those that you might not expect is health. Most people may not realize it, but the writing life is not conducive to optimal health. You’re sedentary for long stretches which plays merry havoc with your back (at least it has with mine). The lack of aerobic activity means you’re not exactly burning heaps of calories either. Eye strain is fairly common. As E.B. White said:

Writing is hard work and bad for the health.

After a particularly bad episode with my back last winter I decided (and my physical therapist strongly recommended) that I should start regularly exercising again. So, like a good little boy, that’s what I’ve been doing. And you know what? I’m really enjoying it. Lately I’ve been going for runs with my son. He smokes me, but it feels great to get outside and just wear myself out a bit. It also allows for me to emphasize another priority in my life: my family. Writing can be the dickens on family time and so as my writing career has taken a detour it’s allowed me to step back and realize how much I had been scheduling my family around my writing and not the other way around.

So there’s that.

But all that’s not to say that I’ve stopped writing. I’ve been working on several different projects since I sent out my last newsletter. I’m going to be highlighting a few of these, as well as other things over the next few newsletters (and these newsletters are going to be coming more often, of that I am certain). I’m not sure what order I’ll be tackling these, but here are a few things I’ll be sharing about over the next few installments.

What’s on the horizon

  • The Last Motley. This is my first foray into fantasy. This is one I’m incredibly excited about. Has a very strong family theme to it. That’s all I’ll say for now.
  • Brazen. This is a short novella set in the same world as The Last Motley. Think Prince of Persia or Tales of the Arabian Nights.
  • Ascent of the Nebula. It may be delayed, but it’s still on the horizon. I’ll share more details about that.
  • The Website. The times they are a changing over here at www.djedwardson.com. I’m looking into possibly redesigning the site to coincide with the release of The Last Motley. New Genre, new website. Make sense, right?
  • Book Reviews. Did you know I do these fairly frequently? Thought I’d talk a little bit more about those.
  • Life, Other Authors, Other Surprises. When I think it’s appropriate I’ll highlight other authors’ work and comment on, well…other things in the world of publishing and without. You’ll have to just wait and see on this one.

Sorry for the long hiatus with this newsletter. I hope you enjoy the new format. If you aren’t receiving notifications about when I publish these and would like to, please subscribe to my newsletter. Let me know what you think of it in the comments below or simply contact me directly. I always love hearing from my readers.

Until next time.

Excelsior!

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7 thoughts on “The State Of Things to Come”

  1. I know the feeling of things falling through and getting pushed back. It’s not a race… I keep chanting the mantra to myself. Not. A. Race.

    Yes, exercise and family.

    Oooh, Brazen sounds quite intriguing (Prince of Persia is a favorite). I like the new newsletter format (though I can’t actually remember the old format… so…) And The Last Motley because: fantasy. 🙂

    1. Yes, sometimes the process of writing reminds me of that quote from Gimli, “Certainty of death. Small chance of success. What are we waiting for?”

      But we choose to ride and assail the gates of Mordor each day because above all we are people of faith. And if God has ordained it, we cannot but take heart in the battle.

  2. I hear ya! About the health/exercise thing. Trying to stay on top of that as with everything else! Things have been slower than I like, but slowly but surely, right?

    I’m glad to hear that you are getting back into the swing of things. Oh, and The Last Motley. Fantasy….you are speaking my language. ha! Looking forward to hearing more about it and seeing the new look for your website. 🙂

    1. Another thing about exercise is that I think paradoxically it does make you a bit sharper and more alert. So less time for writing, but maybe better results? That’s my thinking anyway.

      And yes, fantasy is really my favorite genre, but I write whatever comes and the scifi story came first. But I’m thrilled to get into the mix with fantasy. I can’t let you have all the fun!

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