What next? (Patreon)

So, Arilin, now that you’ve finished Hurricane, what’s next?

The honest, if unsatisfying, answer is…I’m not sure yet.

On the one hand, I have a lot of writing time right now, since I was forced to resign from my job in December. Like a lot of office workers, I’ve been working remotely since March 2020, and—with the company’s knowledge—moved cross-country in mid–2022 to help take care of an elderly parent. In September 2023, though, the company decided remote work was officially over and my manager couldn’t convince higher-ups that my being nearly 3,000 miles away was sufficient reason to give me an exemption. I should be able to take on more projects until such a time as I manage to land a new job.

On the other, some of the projects that I’ve been putting off are things like revamping my website (only indirectly related to the Patreon at best) and trying my hand at a Twine game (arguably related, but difficult to serialize, at least until I get to a certain point). And there are issues I’m still trying to navigate with said elderly parent and maintaining my own personal space. I have shared furry but non-macrophile writing with her in the past, but from her standpoint, I haven’t written anything substantial since 2018 or so. “I’m writing all the time, but I don’t want you to see any of it” is a conversation I am, bluntly, trying to put off for as long as possible. (If you have any ideas on how to navigate that, I’m all ears.)

Now, on the third hand (?), getting more people subscribed to the Patreon would be a heck of a boon given that it’s my only income for now. So I not only don’t want to let this lie fallow for very long, I’d like to ensure it’s valuable enough to keep all of you wanting to stay subscribed and even to bring a friend or two along. So, there may be more things which stay Patreon-exclusive for longer than they have in the past, whether they’re shorts or even other serials. To date, only Saida & Autumn and Goddess have stayed pay-only, either via Patreon or by buying the commercial release from FurPlanet. I might do more of that, although Goddess will be on the website. (And still available in ebook and print from FP, of course!)

Okay, yeah, but what might be next?

Well, okay. Here are the things I’m sorta-kinda working on:

• A new story with Nora Mallory, the size-shifting cat detective. There may also be an “interlude” short story that sets that up; I’m not sure yet.

• A sequel to “Heavy Forces,” the cyberpunk-ish story about Saffron the jackal whose job is essentially “professional rampager”. I have a couple of stories about her in mind. Vaguely.

And, more distantly:

• A new story about Jen, the protagonist of “Teacher’s Pet”.

• Maaaaybe returning to the other unfinished Mensura story about Kani.

I’ll do my best to keep you posted. If things aren’t far enough along to let a monthly charge go through in good conscience, you’ll all get a free month, although at this point I’m hopeful I’ll have something to put up in February.

As always, thank you for sticking with me!