2020 Wrapup
Well damn. Usually these blogs are meant to be a quick reflection on high points and releases through the year, followed by a rough estimate of what to expect in the twelve months ahead. But writing any sort of summary of 2020 feels like a fool’s errand, and not a welcome one at that. I think now that 2021 is here and there are rays of vaccine hope on the future’s horizon, there’s even less inclination to spend time looking back at the tirefire we just finished.
Still, there were a few bright spots in my careers during this wild ride of a year. I finished and published the second book in the Villains’ Code series, Bones of the Past, which had not only an amazing launch day, but has been absolutely flooded by positive reviews since release. Big thanks to everyone who has been a part of that, by the way. With schedule hiccups taking me down to only one novel out this year, it meant a lot to see the outpouring of support.
Outside novels, I got a little more writing published with my fourth Shingles book: Action Kadabra. For those only passingly familiar with Shingles, they are all self-contained shorts with no particular order, so you can jump in on any of them, such as a fast-paced story of a magician stuck in a tournament to the death. I also wrote a full other novel as well, 5-Minute Sherlock #2, however that one won’t be releasing until 2021.
Audio fans did get some fresh content this year though, in the form of the Undeading Bells audiobook, and new release versions from Graphic Audio of Fred the Vampire Accountant books #1 and #2. Based on feedback it seems like a fair few of you really enjoy this style, and I hope we get to see a lot of these in years to come.
While it would be impossible to count the postponement of our next Authors & Dragons Con to 2021 as a high point, since it meant missing seeing a lot of friends in person, I like to think there was a silver lining in our A&D DigiCon. It took a lot of work and learning to set-up, but we managed to deliver two days of con-like content and fun despite the thousands of miles separating us all. I hope we can carry that knowledge forward and add some digital aspects to our future conventions, even once in-person meetings are allowed again.
With the talk of a cancelled con, I think it’s time to shift gears into a quick acknowledgement of the things that didn’t happen. Aside from the obvious absence of attending cons like Denver Pop Culture Con and RCCC, this is also the first year I didn’t manage to publish all of the books I set out to. If you go check 2019’s Wrapup, you’ll see that the goal for this year was to release Villains’ Code #2, 5-Minute Sherlock #2, and Fred #7. Villain’s Code #2 thankfully made it over the plate, but it’s not as if I had a lot of spare time on the clock. I won’t spend too much time on this since I gave a long explanation some months back, but the short version is that the pandemic slowed every part of the publishing process, because those all involve people who are trying to endure this year. We’re all doing our best to get through unique and unexpected challenges, but things just take longer as hurdles pop up.
That said, with our 2020 reflection finally out of the way, let’s look to the year ahead, where things shine just a tad bit brighter. For starters, the audiobook folks are going to get a boatload of content early on in 2020. From Graphic Audio, Fred #3 and the first part of Super Powereds: Year 1 will both be releasing in January. On the classic audiobook side, Tantor and Amy Landon are working hard on Bones of the Past, which will come out on 3/30/2021. And while I don’t have enough confidence to speak with certainty, especially these days, I wouldn’t exactly be shocked if 5-Minute Sherlock #2 made it out in the first quarter.
Now this is where I normally set my goals for the year, including listing out projects that are expected to be worked on if not published. And while I still have some of that below, please be aware that my estimations have gotten a lot more tentative. I take pride in keeping my word and delivering what I promise, so it wasn’t much fun to miss multiple publishing goals this year. Granted, there was no way I could have known what the year had in store, but that excuse doesn’t hold up for 2021. Until the publishing process stabilizes, I’m leaning toward under-promise and hope to over-deliver.
1. Finish and publish Fred #7: As you might have suspected, the current work in progress is still Fred #7, which is coming along well but got put on hold so I could handle finishing up Bones of the Past. That one I feel very certain will be out in 2021. Even with everything slowed, the Fred books are some of my shorter series, and I would genuinely be flabbergasted if this one didn’t make it out.
2. Write Spells, Swords, & Stealth #5: Writing the next adventure of the traveling NPCs crew feels definitely doable for me in 2021. I have most of the tale mentally mapped out, and even though these usually come in over 100,000 words, that’s manageable. I also think there is very real chance that this one could be published in 2021 as well. If we get hit with the same kind of delays as 2020 held in store at every step of the process though, it gets shaky, hence why this one is only listed as a goal to finish.
3. Build a Better Schedule: I scheduled this year badly. Even before taking into account all the unexpected pandemic delays, it wasn’t organized well. In the original plan I went from massive tome that would take months to edit, to audiobook that would take months to produce, to shorter book with a faster turnaround. If there were no delays or issues at all, my year would have been a logjam of releases all hitting around the year’s last quarter. The trouble is that I was ordering them based on how long they would take to write, rather than considering the full process. Moving forward, I’m overhauling my writing-schedule to consider more factors, as well as look several years ahead. You’ll all get the same updates during these Wrapups, but hopefully it will lead to better spacing between releases. This is also why I’m not letting you know what I’m planning past Spells, Swords, & Stealth #5, as right now even I’m not sure what’s going to take the following slot.
4. Movie/TV: What the hell, might as well toss this one in for tradition.
Okay folks, that is it for this year’s Wrapup. As usual, if you have any goals of your own for the year ahead, feel free to share them below in the comments. I’m sure we’ve all got a few unexpectedly mundane activities we can’t wait to enjoy once again.