So, it happened. There were a few moments when it seemed like it wouldn't. Like we owned too much crap and could never get it packed. Or like we would never get our paperwork together in time to get me over the border. Or just like there were too many miles between wherever we were and Canada and we would simply never make it. Those moments were fleeting of course, but they happened.
On the 21st I made it over the border with no hassle and drove myself and the dog into Winnipeg where the husband had been waiting for us for two days already. The 22nd was a lot of unpacking and other errands and yesterday, though also full of errands was also my first official day as a full time writer.
WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
Can I just type that again, because it was so much fun the first time. Yesterday (which was a monday I might add) was my first day as a full time writer!
It was pretty great, although it had to be cut into a half day (my boss was pissed, but the husband managed to talk her down) due to things like buying and setting up a new phone and other important things. Also we are still in the midst of unpacking and settling in. So, I only worked four hours. Today I have a full eight hour day slated. The good news is those eight hours can happen whenever. Take yesterday for example: I worked the first two hours from 10am to noon and the second from 10:30pm to 12:30am. (For those sticklers who would argue that then I worked only 3.5 hrs yesterday and already worked .5 today: hush. No one asked you.)
As our apartment is in total disarray, and as this is the internet and I don't need the entire world knowing exactly what the inside of my home looks like, here are a couple of visual snippets of the new place:
So there you go. The husband is rocking out, and Artemis is pretty ok with not being inside of a car anymore.
So, back to me being a writer full time. I have multiple projects on the go. I have mentioned this before, I think, but it's nice to have some variety in what I need to work on. I only have one project in the "new writing" stage at a time, but my other projects are at varying stages of revision. So here's a quick summary of what's on the table at this point.
- There will be a new Blade's Edge chapter up in the next seven days. Once that chapter goes up, I should be able to get back on the one to two chapters a week schedule.
- Gwendamned final revision starts this week and goes until it's finished! Then Gwendamned gets sent off into the world...
- Arcteryx a "new writing" project, gets its start this week. Prep for this series has been extensive and this will probably be the first project that I run a kickstarter campaign in order to fund.
- And finally, I'm announcing the upcoming release of my first kindle ebook: Rain on a Summer's Afternoon: Volume I. This is a compilation of short stories, some previously published by other presses, some published here on the blog, and some never before seen by people who aren't my beta readers. It's a small tome, to be used to test out KDP (Kindle direct publishing) and see how well it works as a platform for my work. Two weeks from now I will release the ebook and a few weeks from that date I will release a paper copy. (I know that may seem backwards, but the main purpose for this experiment is to see how well the ebook distribution works, the paper copy is just to get it in the hands of my readers who prefer paper books. Also, the formatting for paper takes longer.)
That about sums up what I have on my plate for the next few weeks. I will of course keep you posted as new things are released and as deadlines become more precise.
Oh, and one last personal note. I went for my first run today since January (after getting plantar fasciitis). It was only three miles, but it felt good, and it was great to be moving that way again. In addition, Winnipeg greeted me with a blissfully cool, cloudy, and slightly drizzly day. Perfect for a first run in a new place after a long time of not running.
