For those of you wondering what I'm up to, if I'll become more active, etc, etc, yes, I fully plan to.  The problem is, life is so ridiculously busy right now, actually getting to them is proving to be a challenge.  In fact, at the moment I'm just focusing on keeping my head above water, which is proving to be challenging in and of itself.  Ya know, there's this whole "making money so you don't starve and keep a roof over your head" thing going on. ;)  But yeah, all that bread making aside, I do have a bunch of things planned for the future.  Here's what I've got in mind.

1.  A resumption of book shows, signings, conventions, etc.  I'm not sure how I'm gonna restart this, or when, or even where I'll be setting up, but it's on the schedule.  Or, at least the planning list.  And when I restart, I'll probably begin small with a few shows scattered throughout the year to gauge how well this will work out or be accepted.  This is mostly because I've been out of the public scene so long that it'll be like going out as a new author again when I resume this.  What kind of shows, and which ones will I do?  Well, I'm not sure.  I do plan to start out with ebooks and print books, and maybe a few audiobooks, direct purchase links, and more.  I don't have the ability to do credit cards, and until I get sufficient volume to warrant a Stripe account, I likely still won't.  But, I will have QR codes and links to buy the books at the shows, so that'll be a plus.  Although, this is all prospect right now, and I won't know specifically what'll be happening until it starts happening.  At this point it's all "this is what I'm planning to do, but not necessarily how it'll come together."

2.  Audiobooks.  Um, yeah.  I'm still working on those.  However, for someone who makes very little on their books (I do this mostly as a labor of love and a paid hobby, although I'd like to take it a LOT further than it is now), I don't have the funds to do these right now.  Especially at $2500 a pop. o.0  Yes, doing audiobooks is NOT CHEAP in the slightest.  But, that doesn't mean they're not still in the works.  Or at least in the planning board.  I just don't know when I'll be able to round up enough spare cash to do them.  If you want to help with that, I'm game.  I'm not ashamed to ask for assistance on this.

3.  A Video Wiki.  So what exactly is a video wiki?  Well, just like a regular wiki, it's going to be done to answer your questions about characters, scenes, the worlds, etc that are in my books.  I plan to do some Q&A informational videos explaining the three major worlds in my story library (Earthfleet, Land of the Lions, and Offworld), the people, the technology, and so much more.  Basically, these are meant to expand on what's already in my wiki, and add a lot of insights as to their design, creation, and other details that just don't translate well into wiki articles, or even onto paper.  As for the medium I plan to use, that's up for debate.  Right now I'm looking at possibly double posting on both Youtube, and BitChute.  Although, the way Youtube has been lately, getting all gestapo on any one they disagree with, even if they're not breaking the law, has me questioning if I'll want to bother with them.  But, we'll see.  Video wikis will be down the road a ways, and I'm still trying to decide how they will be setup and run, and more.

4.  More interactive and multimedia content.  Just like with audiobooks and book signings, this requires time and money, neither of which I have much of right now.  However, this is one of the things I've been considering doing as a gift to you guys and to attract new people to read my books.  Exactly what this will entail, I'm not sure.  But we'll find out in time as the idea matures.

5.  New website design.  I know that some of you have been crying for a new website design, not so much to change the theme, but rather to make it mobile friendly.  I am actively working on that.  However, making a website mobile friendly isn't as easy as it sounds.  There's a lot of CSS, Javascript and other stuff that needs to go into this, all of which hates me.  Really, it does.  I do have one possible design that I like that I'm looking into modifying for my own personal uses.  However, we again come back to the idea of money and time.  Basically, once I can have enough time and money to do the previously stated things, I'll also begin working on this.

6.  Offworld Chronicles Book 5.  At this point, everything seems to point towards the book being finished early and ready for publication at the normally scheduled time frame.  Oddly enough, dropping the requirement to have a book done by my normal publishing schedule has allowed me to de-stress enough that I'm now able to make significantly better progress and, ironically enough, actually complete my work ahead of schedule.  Go figure, right?  Anyways, as of this moment, OWC5 is on schedule for its anticipated August release.  But, as usual, don't expect to be able to buy it on Amazon right away.  OWC4 was released in February and we're STILL fighting with Amazon to get it posted and online.  Yes, still.  They are an absolute nightmare to work with and I hate dealing with them.  But, when people leave you no choice BUT to publish your books through Amazon, you have to deal with the monster, regardless if you want to or not.

7.  New Books/Series.  At this time I don't have a specific book or series chosen to be worked on next once Offworld is finished.  I've considered doing the follow on series "Ember Chronicles", or "Mouseville", "Starship Down", "Giving Spirit" and a few others.  But, at the moment, nothing is really gelling in my mind.  All of them are kinda in that fuzzy early development stage, and none are really gaining any inspirational traction at this time.  So I'm not sure what direction I'll be going in with my writing once Offworld is complete.  I have quite a selection of pending works to choose from, including two unfinished Earthfleet novels.  And, while that fact is a bit troubling on one hand, I'm really not worried about it as I won't have to begin worrying about it until after book 7 of Offworld is published.  If I haven't picked a next project to start by that time, I'll really be shocked.  So again, not a big issue for the moment, but figured to mention it anyways.

And that's basically it.  This is what I have on my mind and my planner for the future.  When most of this stuff will come to fruition, I don't know.  But, I at least figured to share this with you so you knew I hadn't just up and quit or given up or anything like that.  I just have a bad habit of life mugging me repeatedly like an evil version of Robin Hood.  But, hopefully, in time, that'll all get sorted. :)  So hang in there with me, everyone!