Welcome to the “Indie Writing Life,” my semi-regular blog series about my ongoing activities as a writer, i.e. – somebody running a business writing and selling books. My inaugural episode can be found here, if you’d like to start at the beginning. The last episode is here.
Conventions & Events
I will be selling and signing books at the Blend Book Fair. It’s being held near my house next to the Blend Coffee Bar in Ashburn, VA on August 9, 2025, from 3:00 – 7:00 PM. Usually, I sell books with my friend, Martin Wilsey…but he and his wife are off to Pennsic, the two-week long medieval reenactment event in PA.
I took this as an opportunity to build out my own set of vendor gear, including a 6-foot folding table and a EurMax 10×10 Commercial Canopy from Amazon.com. “Commercial” is a code word that means it’s a little taller than the canopies they usually sell for personal use. Unlike most canopies, I don’t have to duck when I walk into this one.
Check it out. Here’s a picture of me testing out the new canopy in my backyard…
Work-In-Progress (WIP)
My current WIP is a novelette called “Banner Yet Waves.” I originally wrote it in 2022 for the annual Imagine 2200 Contest, which wanted “hopeful climate change stories about people working together to solve problems.” My story was basically a semi-finalist despite being handicapped by the 5000-word limit, which meant that the ending was, well, weak. Despite that, the Imagine 2200 folks asked my permission to “shop it around” for potentially being made into a short film.
That never happened (which is the usual case when Hollywood comes knocking, so I didn’t take it amiss). I still think it’s a great contest.
Anyway, I was left with a short story that rocks along quite nicely for 4000 words…and then just sort of ends abruptly. Not quite publishable, to my mind.
BUT, I recently found an upcoming anthology on the theme of science fiction submarines…and figured this was a perfect opportunity to dust off the story, expand it, and finish it off the way that it needs to be finished. Even better, the new anthology accepts up to 10K words.
Tip: The Submission Grinder is a great, FREE resource for finding short fiction publishing opportunities. Highly recommended.
As always when I submit to an anthology, the real prize for me is a polished, finished story. If I’m accepted, great. If not, I’ll publish it solo (and then, later, in a collection).
What’s the story about?
It’s 2080 and sea level rise has drowned South Pacific nations like the Republic of the Marshall Islands. World leaders tell the Marshallese that, without land, they’re not even a nation anymore, that treaty obligations are null and void, and that they’re just refugees. Nothing but ocean flotsam. Well, they’re not planning on going under without a fight.
As I said, it’s a hopeful climate change story.
All About the Long War
I’ve got two stories now in what I’m calling my Long War series. The first is a novella entitled Pivot Point, which I’m publishing in August if I can procure a good cover for it (getting or making good covers is the bane of the indie writer’s life). The story’s been kicking around since 2018. It’s gone through a bunch of changes and has finally evolved into what I’d long envisioned for it.
Anyway, the world of the Long War is an alternate 19th-century where magic exists, but at a relatively low level. The Fey have rubbed shoulders with humanity for centuries, but exist mostly in a relatively small enclaves dotted around Europe and other areas. However, the majority of the Fey live in reaches, effectively small bubble worlds attached to the terrestrial world via gates. These reaches come to be known collectively as the “border worlds.”
Some reaches are large; for example, Caelora, populated by elves, has the land area of India. Others range dramatically in size, but there are thousands of them. Significantly, magic is much more accessible in these reaches. Since the Fey are not forthcoming with details, humanity is mostly unaware of how many Fey there are.
So, when the Elven Dominion decides in 1833 to launch an all-out war against humanity, and more specifically, Napoleon’s now-unified Europe, it comes as a shock to the entire world. Pivot Point is set in 1841, and is about the climactic battle of the European conflict.
Last month’s WIP, “Storm Chaser,” which I’ve submitted to an anthology, is set five years after Pivot Point. And, in fact, the protagonist of that story, Germaine Gavreau, was first introduced as a secondary character in Pivot Point.
Here’s a blurb for Pivot Point:
Jacques Guinyard is an airship captain for the French Empire in 1832, fighting a deadly and unwinnable war against the forces of Faerie, led by the ruthless and implacable Elves. When he’s loaned to the mysterious Ministère de l’Innovation, he discovers that there’s more than one way to wage war.
And finally, check out this Preview for the story. Meanwhile, I’m obviously planning more stories in this setting.
Entertainment
For my birthday, I got the blu-ray of Andor Seasons 1 & 2, as well as Rogue One. So, I’m in the middle of a Star Wars viewing extravaganza. I’m following up these shows with Star Wars (A New Hope, if you must, but it was just called Star Wars when I first saw it). I can’t help but feel like Andor is very timely considering the authoritarian turn of the American government (your mileage may vary). At any rate, I feel like my love for Star Wars has been rekindled.
Note: One benefit of the “sequels” is that they made even the flawed prequels look good.
On the theatrical movie front, I enjoyed the live-action version of How to Train Your Dragon, though not quite as much as the animated version. And, actually, there’s a bunch of other summer blockbusters on my list, too (Jurassic World: Rebirth, F1, Superman, Ballerina, Fantastic Four, etc.). My favorite movie of the year is still Sinners, which was amazing.
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