I updated the What I’m Working On page. I did not realise it was so out of date!
I just decided to drop the second book I’ve started recently and then decided not to finish. This is annoying, but… The first one was a sci-fi, but I started to realise it was too like Etiquette of Sin. So, I tried again, but I’m not liking where the new one is going. The concept is there, so I’m putting this one (I’ve never figured out a title, maybe that was a clue) aside and going back to retool it later.
So…
The good news (I hope it’s good news) is that I’ve decided that I will be doing the ninth Death’s Handmaiden book now. The bad news is that there will be a bit of a delay before it gets out for sale since I have to write it and all that. Hopefully, the wait won’t be too long.
It’s spring and I’m in Manchester (the one in the UK). Tradition dictates that it should be cold and rainy. Instead, I have a fan blasting at me and sleeping last night sucked.
On the bright side, I got up at 3 a.m. and did some work because I wasn’t sleeping. I managed to clawed back a bit of sleep later when things had cooled a little. I thought it was enough, but it’s even warmer today than yesterday and I’m sagging like a wilting flower (not a very pretty flower, and you forgot to water it for the last month). Well, stuff it! It’s Friday afternoon, it’s hot, I need to plot out the final part of the next book. I am going to do random stuff until I come up with a clever way to hit all the plot points. It worked last time my brain turned to soup!
Oh, yeah, and the render is kind of hot too. After doing that last one with Nava, I kind of just wanted to do one with Nava and Suki, and the wrap model is new, and it took forever to get their hair to behave, but I think it turned out really well, so I thought I’d post it for you guys. Enjoy.
Apparently, this is a thing. So, I wondered how easy it would be to recreate with one of my characters. It’s hardly perfect. Getting the pose to work perfectly would have driven me insane. Surprisingly, the lighting was easy. Enjoy.
Available soon (as in when the publishers get their acts together).
Sin lives alone in a tower on the edge of a haunted forest. She likes her life. That is until a princess rides up and asks her to come to the capital of Almar to save her brother from a demonic curse, and Sin’s life is suddenly turned upside down. Now Sin has to go to school to learn etiquette, which could be a problem because Sin has a secret…
Smashwords/others. Now available on at least some of the outlets, including Smashwords.
New book, The Etiquette of Sin, will be out this week. For those of you who like to read these at the weekend, I’ll make sure it’s available some time on Friday (UK time), but it might come out a little earlier. Basically, it’s been almost a year since I did one of these, so it may take me a while to remember the process.
I decided to revert to my youth with this one (and the next one, actually), so there’s a lot more (kinky) sex in this than there has been in my books of late. You have been warned (or you may not think of it as a warning).
After this one, the next book will be Indigo Blues (unless I change the title, but I like it so far), which will be a sci-fi featuring psionics, alien (or are they?) monsters, mercenaries, and a very dangerous planet being colonised. It’s kind of going back to the Aneka books. Publication date: as yet unknown; I’ve really just started it.
I realise most of you will be reading this in the morning of January 1st, or may be reading it while waiting for midnight, but I’m waiting for the explosions to die down before I go to bed, so here we are. I hope 2026 turns out to be good for you, and I hope we make it to 2027 without blowing up the planet.
Number 15, North Pole, three doors down from Santa’s workshop.
Wrong address. Gosh, being drunk is fun! I could gush about single malt whiskey, but my doctor might complain. I should get on with it…
It’s been a while since I wrote anything here. For once, that is because I’ve been working. I’m about 65,000 words into something which looks like it’s going to be finished at some point. Currently, it’s called Sin, but I’m hoping to come up with a better title before it releases. It is going to release. There will be a new book from me. I’m going to say it’ll happen in March, but I’m hoping for February, but don’t quote me on that. I’m also hoping that next year is going to see a number of other books coming out in reasonably swift succession, because I seem to be back in working order. I’m even making graphics again.
I was going to post my first draft of a cover for the next book, but it turns out I haven’t turned it into a JPEG. Doing so would mean turning on my other computer, so you get this one instead. Hopefully, not too disappointing.
Basically, on the 4th of December, my sister and I finally wrapped things up with my father’s estate. It’s all done and dusted. I can’t describe what a relief that was. As things were progressing toward that date, I noticed that I was returning to something akin to normalcy, but it was like a switch flipped on the 4th. I’ve been working my ass off since then, and actually enjoying what I was doing. And in less than two days, I’m going to have my first ever Christmas without either of my parents. (Pause for a sip of whiskey.) I’m still not entirely sure how that is going to pan out. This year has been a proverbial emotional rollercoaster. I will be so happy to see the end of it. So. Happy.
Weird thing. My parents lived in their house for about thirty-five years, give or take. They had the same neighbours for most of that time. Over the last thirteen or so months (and before that to some extent), I’ve gotten to know both of them pretty well. Both of them were enormously helpful to me over the past months, supporting both me and my father. One of them had a stroke a few years ago. She has trouble walking, and she lost the use of one of her arms almost entirely, but her mind is still very functional. As the time for the sale of my father’s house grew closer, I was over there to handle the clearance, and I dropped in to see her for what may well be the last time. We chatted. I guess I was her last link with the two friends who lived next door. She was pretty close to tears when I said goodbye. I have no idea where I’m going with this. It was a sad moment which I guess I just wanted to share with someone.
Anyhoo…
Look forward to the next book. I think it’s not too bad. It’s got sex in it. And a protagonist without much of a filter.
Have a totally fantastic Christmas (or whatever else you may celebrate at this time of year). Have a glorious New Year. Cherish those you hold dear, because there may come a time when you can’t, but don’t forget to cherish yourself too. You’re worth it.
(I’m going to get on with getting drunk now. See you next year.)
On the 29th of May (I think; time is blurring), my father died. I had been spending more or less all my time looking after him for the past few months. He turned 91 on the 13th of May, and I was pretty convinced he was going to keep going for years. He had a major stroke on Sunday night, slipped into unconsciousness, and finally died on the Thursday. It was quiet and he was not in pain. With dementia and Alzheimer’s getting very steadily worse before he died, I admit it came as something of a relief. Really, the man who was my father ‘died’ months ago.
So, yeah.
Getting back into work is not going to be as easy as I’d hoped. We haven’t had the funeral yet, so things may improve after that. I plan to take a few days holiday after the service and wake. Then we’ll see what happens. I currently have no idea what my next book is going to be or when it’ll happen. I am starting to realise what being a carer for the past year-ish has done to my head. People who have to do that for years have my total respect; I’d need therapy. Possibly, my general state is partially because my sister is taking care of most of the work required after a death. I had to do it all for my mother (it was during COVID), so she’s taken it up for Dad. Left with nothing to do, I’m not doing anything. Maybe…
More news when I finally figure out what I’m doing. I have about two books started; I’m not sure whether either of them will be the next out.
As I said, I didn’t do a lot of art for Gods and Monsters owing to family circumstances. So, I’m not doing a proper art dump, but here are a couple of images I did do.
This was my idea for what everyone would wear on Grimalkin. That place is hot, so everyone except Carina is in briefer clothing. Carina thinks it’s just warm since it’s autumn.
And this is another image of Michiko, probably from a party. She’s taking her makeup ideas from Nava, it seems.
Witches and Ray-Guns 