Life Long Update

Following the lead of one of my favorite authors, Brandon Sanderson, I think that every year around my birthday I will give an update of projects that I am working on and how I plan to advance said projects during the coming year. That being said, I have always been a dreamer. One of my favorite pass times is planning out projects that seem to forget that I am a father, husband, have a full time job, and all together not yet able to dedicate all of my time to writing. So lets look at this list as a set of goals that I hope to achieve rather than a schedule of what is actually going to happen.

Social Media:

Please follow my social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are all @l0st.turkey. As of right now my thoughts just kind of go out into cyberspace and die. Don’t let my thoughts die.

Under Contract:

Jovie Jade and the Monster Under Her Bed:

We are really close to a full launch. I signed with Foundations Books in 2019 with a complete, though un-edited, manuscript and it has taken more than two years to get officially into print. This is thanks to COVID, my inexperience, and due to the marketing team being really dedicated to putting out a quality product (for which I am very grateful). Hopefully I will be able to make an announcement here shortly with an official date.

Brody Michael Couldn’t Sleep:

Foundations took this book on, which will be a children’s picture book, at the same time as Jovie Jade, but we decided to work on one at a time to give each project the attention it deserves. This also gave me a chance to learn without feeling too overwhelmed. Once Jovie Jade is released we will turn our attention here. That includes finding someone to help with illustrations, so if you are reading this and want to take on a challenge, please reach out.

The simple summary is that Brody Michael does not want to sleep, and tells his mother all of the wonderful adventures they will go on if he can stay awake. From the deep sea and pirates, to fighting dragons, even to outer space, Brody uses every inch of his imagination painting wonderful scenes. My wonderful wife, Tayler, took this project on with me and we wrote it together, which was really fun. Tayler is incredibly talented, and I am sure she will soon be writing books on her own.

The Most Amazing Story:

Technically this book is already published, also it is out of print. I am working on republishing with updated illustrations. I love this story and really want to give it the art work it deserves. My guess is this will find its way back on shelves after Brody Michael, though I dare not make any promises.

In The Oven: Stories I am actively writing, but do not have a home

One World: The Iron Corpse:

This is probably the project that has me the most excited. This is a young adult novel that I intend to turn into a trilogy if I can mange it. The story follows Sam, who lives far in the future where humans have evolved to the point that much of the species can use magic, on top of that several alien species have created colonies on earth. There is a man who calls himself The Iron Corpse that considers it his duty to hunt and destroy the magic-users, a calling he believe was given to him because he is immune to magic. Sam must run from this killer that has his eyes set on her, while also navigating the complex societies of the Landed Species.

I have been working on this book for years. For a long time I would get an idea, write a chapter, and not touch it for weeks until my next idea came. The result was a very disjointed and confusing story. So recently I wrote out a long outline to keep me focused. I think the voice and setting provide a lot of fantastic opportunities, so keep an eye out for sample chapters posted on here in the coming weeks.

Piper Page Can Touch the Stars:

This is my love letter to my second daughter, Piper, much like Jovie Jade is to my first daughter (her name is Jovie, if you didn’t catch that). In the story Piper is living in an orphanage, though she is adamant she is not an orphan. She knows her parents are special agents that went on a mission to space and will be back to get her before long. On her birthday a group of aliens come to get her, begging her help to find her parents that are, in fact, on a special mission but have become lost.

The idea behind the story is that we all just need to do our best even if we are not some sort of prodigy. As I get older I see many people give up because they are not exceptional. The problem is that one of the most exceptional traits found today is the ability to put forth effort with the understanding that we will probably fail, or at least not do very good. So far it is a lot of fun to write, I hope to finish it this year, as it will be an early reader chapter book and not require as many words as a young adult novel.

The Shading:

This is an epic fantasy that I have been toying with. I have several chapters written, but I will work through everything listed above before I get to The Shading. The essential premise is what would happen if their were two gods fighting over a world? Not a devil and god, but two beings that have claim to be the supreme creator. As with most epics, this story will take a lot of work and I just don’t have that kind of time right now.

Not a Human:

I started this book as my first attempt at National Write a Novel Month this last November. Truth be told I started with a different story that I decided worked better as a novella (see below), so I jumped ship and came to Not a Human. I read a post online that said they were too many stories of young teenagers that find out they are destined to save the world, and we needed books about a grown adult that becomes the “chosen one”. Seeing as I am a huge Harry Potter fan, I kind of loved the idea. So after some brain storming I found Jeremy, who comes home from his mother’s funeral to meet a wizard and a dwarf that tell him his mother’s will says that he is entitled to inherit her magic. I think it is a lot of fun, and so far it nearly reads as a satire against most YA fantasy novels that we see today. I am ok with the humor, but I also want a serious story underneath so the whole novel isn’t a big joke.

Other Than That: Random updates from the rest of my life

I am also writing some horror short stories on the side (which includes the novella I mentioned above). I question even mentioning this here because horror is so different than what I have been able to publish so far. That being said it is a hobby of mine, so who knows if any of it becomes available to the public. I am a little embarrassed to admit, but I have also been writing some stand-up. I question mentioning this here as well, because it seems a little cocky to be like “I think I am funny enough that people will pay money to hear me tell jokes”. But, truth be told, I think I am funny enough that people will pay money to hear me tell jokes eventually. So I am putting it out into the world that I am working on it.

If I could make a living doing stand-up and writing I think I would be living my best life.

And that is my life. After reviewing this it absolutely seems like I have bitten off more than I can chew, but you know what they say: Take big bites and you won’t go hungry… though you might choke to death. Thanks for reading! Again, please follow my Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter @l0st.turkey.