Mar 13, 2016

Just checking in with a brief update. Today is my 6th day off work in 6 weeks, so it has been more than a bit hectic. I continue working on various materials for and relating to Exile, Magus, but due to the time constraints of my work schedule and the general physical exhaustion it brings on that work has been slow. There’s a silver lining though. Based on what was said in our Thursday meeting we’re going to be able to stop the excessive overtime for at least the next few months, maybe even until the end of this season. The slow down is kicking off in a big way for me since I’ll have a 3 day weekend this coming week as well as another 3 day weekend the following week. That means I’ll have as much time off in these next 2 weeks as I did in the past month and a half! Even after that we’re scheduled to be back to a normal 5 day work week, so I’ll actually have time to get things accomplished.

With all this time off rapidly approaching my brain is swimming with all the (currently unpaid but loved deeply by me) work that I’ve been having to put on the backburner and/or creep slowly into. I’m having a hard time deciding just what to focus on first, which means I’ll probably be skipping between projects maniacally the entire time. The only thing set in stone in my mind is that I will finally complete some beta-readings I’d promised to do. You may also be wondering if this means I’ll be getting back to Sunday reviews. Probably not since I’ve built up such a large backlog of other things I need to do at this point.

The main announcement on the Exile, Magus front at this point is that I’ve decided to start an email newsletter to more directly keep in contact with and update everyone interested on my progress. In addition to the status updates each month, I’m starting a monthly newsletter. It will mainly be detailing the progress which has been made each previous month, but I also intend to include exclusive, sneak peek content such as maps, short stories, bits of background lore about my world and its people, and so on. I’ve already sent out an email to those of you who I have email addresses for, but for the rest of you feel free to email me at redtom.mythmaker@gmail.com if you also want to sign up for the newsletter. I want to make this more of an interactive matter than the typical newsletter, so also feel free to include any comments/feedback or requests for newsletter content when you message me to sign up. Here’s hoping I hear from the lot of you.

Final bit for today is solely on the current contest. I have been watching it(especially during the craziness of these last few days) with all the rapt attention that most folks reserve for sporting events. I’m not much of a sports fan myself, but a literary race for the top just turns me into a whooping, screaming, and often nonsensical superfan. So of course I’ve picked out favorites, those books which move beyond the realm of “I really want to read this book” into “OMG I must read this book!”

Unfortunately some of those have dropped below the top 10, and thus are not likely to make it. There are however 3 remaining which are in truth my dream team of winners which are currently still high in the rankings. I realize that I will likely not get to see all 3 of them in the final winner’s circle, but I can still dream!

Anyway, the 3 books I would most like to see finish in the top 3 are(in no particular order)

“The Life Interstellar” by Zack Jordan

“The Traveller’s Cup” by AC Baldwin

“Lucky” by RH Webster

Ultimately though I just have to say good job to those of you in this contest. Even if you didn’t get named to my own personal top 3, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve caught my eye because this top 10 is filled with great choices (not to mention all of the great choices that aren’t currently on the top 10).

That’s all I’ve got for this week. I’ve got to do lowly human chores such as laundry and house cleaning now. This place has reached nearly full blown clutter mode during these hectic few weeks and I fear what may be hiding under the piles of clothes or behind the empty Cheerwine bottles. Enjoy what’s left of your weekend and keep reading!