It's been a long time since the last update, but I promise things are moving forward with velocity! It's probably for that very reason that I've neglected to let everyone in on where things are and where they're going. Before I get to that, I have a few personal things I want to disclose because I think it will help everyone to know where I am in my life and what that's going to look like alongside developing all the projects that I want to work on.
I make it no secret that I have and always will have neurodivergence, and I use that term as a wide generalization since I've yet to afford a certifiable medical test that would allow me to use more specific terms with confidence that I'm not stepping into spaces that I have no reason to occupy. With that stated, it has been more difficult to manage in the past six or seven years. I got severe Covid right at the beginning in December 2019, before it was even identified so it went improperly treated, and that's taken a huge toll on my stamina and clarity of mind ever since. It was something that I've been able to accommodate and work through, for the most part. In addition to that lasting struggle, my millennial body has recently decided to start second puberty (to put it in a gentle term for my readers with gentle sensibilities) which has only exacerbated my brain fog and fatigue. I find that my mind no longer wants to rest with ideas for very long, so it's made it difficult to maintain focus on a single project--which is why this update is about to look a little chaotic. You have been warned.
Alaria
Alarian Tales
I am one story from completing the first volume of Alarian Tales, and I've started sending some of the completed drafts to beta readers! (If you'd like to join my beta reader team, please
email me with "Beta Reader" in the subject line.)
You can see that I've added quite a bit more material since the first update, including some poetry and song lyrics (to which I have melodies, if ever I make an audiobook version which is something I would like.) I am hoping to get all first drafts finished by the end of March, so that this volume can get it's online release before the summer. That is, if I can find an illustrator to at least do the cover art (and inserts, ideally.) Depending on how digital copy distribution goes, there might be a possibility for physical copies to add to your storybook collections.
The Glimmer
I've reached a bit of an impasse with the outline of the book, so it's taken a little bit of a backseat to the other projects which I think will be easier to expedite. I have certainly not given up on this book! I believe the story I've envisioned is both familiar and unique to the fantasy genre, and I very much want to tell it. It's all a question of how much of the story do I want to tell. While I have a "The End" in sight and it's just a matter of navigating the pieces on the board to get there, the definitive end is so far off on the horizon that I cannot be sure if it's a trick of the eyes. Sequels could be a possibility, but that's so far into the future that it's currently inconceivable to me.
Trousers!: The Musical
This again?! YES. The show that will never die in my mind and heart has gotten all-new cover art to go with it's 2nd edition release on
Campfire Writing (digital only at the moment.) And that's not even the biggest and best thing about this release.
For the first time ever, I've made the sheet music available to the public. I'd been afraid in the past to do this, because it would make it incredibly easy for unsanctioned productions or plagiarism of the work, but I told myself that it's been just about 20 years since this Trousers thing began; and if it is ever going to get a chance at seeing a proper stage, this is something that I need to do.
Other Past Scripts
In addition to the new edition of Trousers!, I'm also in the process of compiling a handful of scenes, sketches, and skits that I've written in the past. This will probably be a zero-cost eBook that I'll make available here with
my books. I don't think I have enough material to justify charging for them, and I'd rather let young performers have those short scenes for free anyway. I know that there are currently two scripts that will be available once I get the files together:
Grind The Donut
A biting satire of the customer service experience from the behind the counter. Disgruntled employee, Wendell, is tasked with training new hire, Gabriella. 3-6 Actors. Adult themes.
Renaissance Men
A SNL-style skit that imagines the three most famous Elizabethan playwrights having a chance meeting in a stationary shop. 4 Actors. Copious references to the works of Shakespeare and extraneous "eth"-ing.
...and there might even be a secret project in the works that I'm just not ready to announce yet.
