“Nyssa Blacksea. With a name like that, I suspect I’ll only get a few pennies and some pocket lint for your ransom, but it’s better than nothing.”
Excerpt from The Unworthy
“You fucking—”
Elias turned to Quinn, interrupting Nyssa. “And you, prisoner, what is your name?”
“Quinn.”
“Surname?” he asked.
“I—I don’t have one,” she replied.
Elias shook his head and glanced back at Nyssa. “A prisoner with no name is worth more to me than you, Nyssa Blacksea. A prisoner!”
So, I’m writing a fantasy novel. I’ve been toying with an idea for years and finally joined NaNoWriMo in November of 2019, thinking “why the hell not?”
Why the hell, indeed. What started as a small project became what all my projects do — obsessive and out-sized. Instead of just giving writing a go, I dove in, bought Scrivener, and just DID THE THING. I don’t know why this became so important to me, but I always wanted to write. I have a degree in creative writing, not that it counts for much if you don’t actually write. Now I work on the book–or the BUSINESS of publishing a book–like it’s a part-time job. And it’s a lot of fucking work.
But I’m enjoying the FUCK out of doing it. I love writing. I think I might like editing/refining more. I love my characters. They’re brave and smart and foolish and scared and loyal. Sometimes to a fault. I’m creating a world that isn’t rooted in medieval fantasy–I wanted to do something I call “alternative” fantasy, a completely different world that can by ANYTHING I want it to be. Gods, grifters, talking chickens, leather pants, brothels, found family, ornery talking bowls, winged demons, pirates, ninja-like assassins, airships, magick, INDOOR PLUMBING–I can have it all. I never want you to worry about where people are pooping.
Today, I have a finished draft and it’s out with beta readers. I’m commissioning artists to do character sketches for me (which I’ll post about at a later date). I’ll be contacting editors, cover artists, etc. I plan on indie publishing on Amazon, jumping through whatever exclusivity hoops they have.
I’m obsessing over creating a polished first book because getting off on the right foot is important. You can’t cut corners on things like artwork or copy editing. And while I may never recoup the cost of producing this book and whatever books follow, I’m enjoying writing. Period. I write for a living as a marketeer in the high tech sector. I’ve been a writer my whole professional career. And while value propositions for enterprise software might not blow up everyone’s skirts, it pays the bills and I’m good at it.
I’ll be continually working on book 1–The Unworthy–until that puppy is published. If you’d like to stay up to date, follow me on twitter or Instagram. And of course, you can always sign up for my newsletter: