Remember the last blog post, Where Have You Been? where I had that weird, sleepless night in which I plotted out most of an upcoming Salla book? Well, that hasn't really stopped.
To be honest, I've hit the brakes on a good few things during this time of...let's just call it "prolonged reflection" so as to not be a bummer about it. It's also left a few things in limbo. One is the release date for the Odyssium Collection Volume 2. The other is the state of what I've tentatively been calling Tides of Odyssium #1. The shape and form of its sequels still continue to elude me a bit, since I haven't been much in the mindset to get the creative juices flowing on it the way they normally do. It's a longer roadblock than I've dealt with since I started publishing, but it's one I'll eventually get around to ramming my way through because it's important. The so-called "Tides #1" is a strong book, I feel. Maybe it just needs to wait for a strong finish.
What's interesting, though, is that--as mentioned above--"comfort food," so to speak, is what my brain is willing and able to grind through the rust to get to. Salla's world is well-established, I have a long roadmap ahead of me, and it's...comfortable. Not "comfortable" in the dangerous way in which writers might go on autopilot, but comfortable in the sense that I'm a kid happy to be playing with my old G.I. Joes in his sandbox again. I've had the bare bones of the intended duology that will follow the Eyes of Odyssium trilogy for a long time, and now it's just fun to sit and flesh those out with little to no pressure. Coming up with Tides #2 and #3, especially knowing I plan on offering them up to small publishing houses?
PRESSURE.
Maybe that's why I'm dragging my feet. Who needs a psychiatrist? Just write a blog and figure it out, I guess. The 1st book of the upcoming duology I'm just starting to dig deeper into, but I like where it's headed. Not sure if it'll be novel or novella length, but I'm just getting started on fleshing it out. The bones for the 2nd book are probably just about set. I'm excited about it. Fairly sure it'll be a novel. Fairly sure my wife'll hate it. Both stories dip their toes into some familiar territory, but in each case take things in some pretty wild directions. And not only that, they set the stage for what will undoubtedly be the boldest story arc I've ever come up with. Stay tuned for that.
I'll try to keep you updated a bit more regularly on how things are shaping up and when you might see the next release. Obviously, with Odyssium Collection Volume 2 being more or less in the can, that one's next. Whether you'll see Tides drop or one of the aforementioned Salla stories next...your guess is as good as mine! Till next time,
-C