January 15 2018

Year End Summary and What’s Up for 2018?

This post will be devoted to a summary of book downloads and other projects for 2017 and a look ahead for what’s coming in 2018.

Below, I have broken down book downloads by series and category.  The numbers are cumulative, from the time of first publication to 1-2-18.

Tales of the Quantum Corps = 4766

Nanotroopers = 6141

The Farpool Stories = 977

Others = 1076

In addition, I completed one sf short story in September 2017.  The title is “In Plutonian Seas.”  I have not yet been able to place this story, but it’s currently at Analog SF magazine, being looked at.  Here’s hoping….

So that’s 2017.  Oh, and I did retire from my full-time job (23 years!) in September 2017, so I am writing full time now…and loving every minute of it.

As for 2018, I have 3 main projects underway.

First is my current novel and 3^rd in the series called The Farpool Stories.  The book is entitled The Farpool: Exodus.  I’m about 85-90% done with the first draft.  Look for this title to be uploaded to Smashwords in early March 2018 and be available for download there and at fine ebook retailers everywhere.

The fourth title in this series will be titled The Farpool: Convergence.  I expect to be underway on the first draft in April and likely done in the fall.  For now, expect this one to be available to readers in November 2018. 

My third project for 2018 is a major effort to take an older work I did some 35 years ago, a horror/mystery story titled The Specter and scan it into proper document file format, then edit and rewrite and update it for modern readers.  I have re-read this story several times the last year and I still believe it’s a well-told story and worthy of some effort to bring it to interested readers.  Toward this end, over the holidays, I purchased a high-end document scanner and its working pretty well, but there is still a lot of work to be done. 

I’ll post a brief synopsis of The Specter in next week’s post.  I hope to be able to make this one available to readers in late May or early June 2018.  Look for it. 

As time permits, I have another science fiction short story idea I’d like to write (in my spare time!) and I need to update my website or transfer it over to a more professional host and show a greater range of my work and make it more easily available to fans and readers. 

I’m also maintaining this blog for the year and corresponding with fans and readers every month to keep everybody satisfied and interested in what’s coming.  I like to think of The Word Shed as a dialogue between me and my readers and anyone else interested in understanding the writing life and what’s involved in grinding out stories left and right.

An interesting, yet really rewarding profession, if I do say so.

The next post to The Word Shed will deal with The Specter. 

See you on January 22.

Phil B.