Duane

I just finished the first draft of Travelers, so tomorrow I’ll probably start in on the editing process.  The first draft came in at 105,486 words, and typically I’ll end up adding two or three thousand more words during the editing process.

I’m extremely proud of how this book came out.  Considering I had to create a completely new group of characters and place them in a post invasion world over two-hundred years in the future, getting through this book was a rather monumental task, but I finally did it.  I think it might just be my favorite book of the series as well.  Unfortunately, it’s also the last book of the series, which means I can’t publish it until I reach that point.

I’ll be starting work on the 15th book of the series, Infestation, probably at some point within the first two weeks of March, and then we’ll see how things go from there.  If that ends up being the last book before Travelers, I’ll publish them both at the same time.  If not, then I’ll just keep writing the series until I reach that point.  It breaks my heart to not be able to release this book yet, because it really is something I’m proud of, and something that I also got very emotional over as I brought it to a close.  Still, there’s more story yet to tell, and I’ll be doing just that starting in March.

I just finished chapter 12 of Travelers.  While the writing has been going slow on this one, I really do love the story and how it’s all coming out.  I’ve also been thinking a lot about how I’m going to start Infestation, which is the next book in the series that takes place before this one.  So even though things have been progressing slowly with the book I’m currently working on, I’m already coming up with ideas for the next one.

Ever since I started Travelers, I’ve had this idea in my head for how I wanted it to end.  At least, how I thought I wanted it to end.  Yesterday I started thinking, and I came up with an idea that I think will work even better.  It’s funny how you can be so dead set on something and have it so solidly locked in, and then suddenly you’ll have an even better idea that will totally wipe the first one away.  I guess that’s just part of the joy of being a writer.

One thing that sort of depresses me in a way is that Travelers will be the final book in the series, despite how many books I decide will come before it, be it one more or ten more.  The reason it depresses me is because I really like these characters, and I had originally intended for this book to be the first of a new series, but in the end I came to the conclusion that it all works better if I make it the final book of the original series.  To be honest, while I’m loving how this book is coming out, I can’t really think of anywhere to take it once it’s completed, which is why I’ve decided to use it as a series ender instead of the start of a new series.

Then the inevitable question after I eventually finish the series is, where do I go from there?  As far as the writing goes, I think that once the series is done I’ll probably end up focusing on writing some standalone novels rather than anything that’s a series or even a trilogy.  Perhaps the standalones would help the series gain the traction it needs to generate some decent sales.

I honestly don’t know what the future holds.  I’m just dealing with the present, and for me the present involves finishing Travelers and then getting started on Infestation.

That’s it for now.  I’ll try to post updates a bit more frequently in the future.  I’ve just been feeling really run down and a little scattered lately, which is why the writing on Travelers has been going slower than usual.

The writing on the book I’m currently working on it going far slower than usual.  As I’ve stated previously, it’s the final book of the series, but it’s not the final book in the series.  For those who missed it, I’ll explain.

The book I’m writing now, Travelers, was originally going to be the first book of a new series that takes place a couple of hundred years after the original series in the Unseen Things universe ends.  However, as I was writing it, I realized that it would work far better as the final book in the Unseen Things series, so that’s what it’s become.  However, because it’s a couple of hundred years in the future after the Earth has been devastated by a race from another dimension called the Echnids, and also doesn’t have any of the original characters in it until near the end, I basically had to start from scratch.  It’s all new characters, new settings, new tech, a new enemy race and everything else.  That’s why this book is taking far longer to write than my previous ones, which would typically take me about a month each to write and edit.  I think you’ll find it’s worth the wait.  I’m really excited about having this be the final book of the series, because it’ll really close everything nicely.

I won’t be publishing Travelers right away obviously after I finish it, because I still have one more book to write in the regular series…or at least one more.  We’ll see how it goes.  The beauty of Travelers is that it can serve as an end cap to the series, regardless of how many more books I write.  As of right now, I’m only planning one more that’ll be called Infestation.  So Infestation will be book 15, and Travelers will be 16.  If I do decide to write any more in between, then the number on Travelers will change, but for right now, that’s how things stand.

Anyway, I am working on it, albeit slowly.  I really want Travelers to be a great ending for the series, and perhaps even something that could go on to become it’s own series at some point in the future, much as I had originally planned for it to be.  The reason I changed my mind is that I just couldn’t think of a continuing storyline that would warrant turning it into a series.  I love the characters, especially the two main characters, Jake and Lana, so who knows?  Maybe it’ll turn into something more.  I think after I finish the series though, I’d like to write some stand alone novels, just to do something different.  Plus I think doing some stand-alone stories will allow me to introduce more people to my writing, which would then perhaps lead them into getting into the series.

That’s it for now.  I just wanted to do an update to let people know I’m still alive and working. 🙂

Basically, I took a month and a half off from pretty much everything.  I spent a little over a year pumping out fourteen full length novels, and then I got half way through the fifteenth and I realized how completely burned out I was.  I just needed a break to reconnect with some of the other things I enjoy in my life that I’d been neglecting for far too long.

I’m slowly starting to get back into writing, and I think I’ve come to a decision about the series.  Travelers isn’t going to be the first book of a new series.  It’s going to be the final book in the original series.  Whether there’ll be more than one more book that comes before it, I’m not sure yet.  I’ll just have to see how the next actual series book goes and then make my decision.  For right now, I’m thinking the next one will be the last one before the final one.  We’ll just have to see how it goes.

Anyway, that’s it for now.  I’m alive, and I’m rested, so I’ll be getting back into the swing of things here soon enough.

I’ve had some delays in my writing schedule as of late for a variety of reasons.  Lack of sleep, spending time with friends and family and just a general sense of burnout have slowed things down.  The burnout in particular is a big part of it I think.  I spent over a year just pounding through one book after another and put out fourteen books.  No one can maintain that kind of a writing schedule without getting burned out to some degree.

I have slowed down my writing schedule for a bit, though I haven’t stopped entirely.  I just finished chapter nine of Travelers this morning and I’ve been thinking a lot about the final book in the Unseen Things series, so things are still progressing.  I’m just going to spend a little more time on other things for the next few weeks.  Things like playing music and video games, and I’ll definitely try to get more sleep.  The sleep issue is probably the biggest factor in all of it.  It seems like I’m tired all the time now, and I’m sick of feeling that way.  I need to get caught up so I can actually function again.

So…to sum it up, work is continuing, albeit at a slower pace for a little while.  Once I start feeling better, I’ll get back to my old writing schedule again.

From now until December 26, 2015, I will be giving away the first book of the Unseen Things series, Origins, exclusively on Smashwords.

Use this coupon code to get the book for free: MK27Y

You can get the book here:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/380914

You can also see what other books are in the series here:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/byseries/10638