Jul 20, 2015

Happy Monday fellow sentients, 

 I had every intention of writing an update filled with optimism and ‘joy de vivre’ this morning. Things were looking bright and the world had nothing but sunshine and chocolate in store for me. That is, alas, until half of what I had been working on all weekend literally came part in my hand.

However, I refuse to admit defeat. I will remain optimistic and will focus on the positives and they are plenty. If you want to know what went wrong, scroll down below. I want to update you guys on what’s going right.

• We’re getting a new cover! My friend Eric Belisle has agreed to create an updated version of the cover art for The Life Engineered. Not only is Eric an unreasonably talent artist who’s worked for the likes of Paizo Publishing and Wizard of the Coast but he was one of my original test readers on the book and was a fan from the first draft. He gets it and I have no doubt he will do the story and mood of the book justice. Seriously, go check out his work here. Also, hire him. Or just throw money and compliments at him.
• Editing is going at a steady pace. I get to improve the existing material but also add in a few new things like a glossary and a couple of descriptions here and there that will help flesh out the universe better for you, the reader.
  
• The model for Koalemos, aside from the issue described below, is moving along. I’ve started painting the main body and though it’s till rough the results are promising.
  
• Nerdtacular is coming quickly. In a little less than a week and a half, I will be flying to Salt Lake City to attend this little convention. A lot of you guys are from the Frogpants community and many of you will be at Nerdtacular. Seek me out and I’ll have a little something for you. Indeed, not only will you get a signed print of some robot art, but you’ll get a chance to win the model I keep referring to in these updates.
  

Before I go into the negatives, let me thank all of you once more for your support. I want to extend a special thanks to those who have recently pre-ordered The Life Engineered. It’s humbling to see people be this interested in my work.

JF

So what went wrong?

I spent a good part of Saturday sculpting the legs on this model of Koalemos that I’ve been working on. It’s been a difficult task but i got them to look somewhat as I envisioned they should. I painstakingly assembled said legs and set them to make molds. This is a two part process that takes a lot of work and requires a lot of attention. I even took the time late last night to verify that the process was going well and satisfied, I went to sleep.

I am not defeated. If trying to be a writer has taught me anything, besides how to write, it’s not to quit. Perseverance, repetition and pig-headedness are all part of the process. Each time, I learn a little more. Each time I grow.