Update on Some Random Stuff

A while back I mentioned that I am going to republish Raising John through Booktrope. I am really excited about this opportunity, but I am having to rein in my excitement until I can find a book manager. I believe it’s a sign of Booktrope’s success that their book managers are all so busy, but my fantasy of signing up with one and re-launching my book for the holidays – well, let’s just say it’s in the rear view mirror. The good news is, I have been talking to one who seems promising, so …

The other good news is that several of the ones I have reached out to liked my book but decided not to take on my re-launch because they are already fully committed with other projects. I very much appreciate that they are not trying to overcommit, since I believe it’s better to whole-ass one thing than half-ass two things.

And … even as I wait to re-launch Raising John, I am working on the sequel. I had hoped to get a whole draft down over my last school break, but then there was the small matter of studying and testing for my Powerplant license, which I earned on December 16 (booyah!). So, I feel OK about getting about a fifth of a full draft (about 16,000 words) done. I will continue to chip away at the word count over the next couple of months. Even if I write only 3000 words a week, I’ll be more than halfway done by the time the current quarter ends.

Speaking of writing … I learned a lot from the Raising John experience – not the least of which was … have a plan! I pantsed Raising John, and it took me 5 years to untangle it and turn it into a readable novel. I don’t have 5 years for the next one, so I started with an outline. So far it’s going well. There is something intimidating about the blank page, but every time I write I get better at just doing it – I turn off the fear and just start typing. Freedom, the program that turns off your internet is also very helpful.

And, of course, there’s still airplane school. Things are going OK this quarter. YGWALACOG has quieted down, at least enough that I don’t hear him anymore. Sadly, Lil’ Bastard decided to take this quarter off. Between that and the loss of Man Child, things are much less entertaining these days.

I am scheduled to take my Airframe exam on April 22. Lots to do between now and then, including, possibly, attending the Aerospace Maintenance Competition, assuming I get picked for the team. I hope I do, because I learned so much last year about how it all works and what to expect and I think it would go really well this year. I’ll post more about the competition as the plan is developed.

That’s it for now.