The Marshmallow Ranch Gazette (Patreon)

Volume 4, Issue 9 - Tuesday, July 9th, 2019

Howdy, patrons!

I had originally planned to begin posting regular installments of "Crushing The Competition" last Thursday, but I had completely forgotten that Anthrocon was happening that weekend. So instead of having episode 16 drop when everyone was travelling I thought I'd hang back a bit. That means this week, you're getting a two-fer! Episodes 16 and 17 will be premiering Wednesday and Thursday, for your viewing pleasure. I hope it's not too much of a good thing. Ha ha!

The day job dismissed me two weeks ago, and it's taken a while to absorb the loss and move on from that blow. I'm currently a "self-employed writer", which means that I can actually focus on slinging words as a source of income for now! Well, between setting up for unemployment benefits and trying to get my resume and interview game on point. It's definitely a bit of a lifestyle change, I'll grant that -- I think this is the longest time I've been without gainful employment since moving to California. It's taken me a little while to recuperate, and now I'm ready to try building my own routine to make the most of this situation.

I'm not going to lie, it feels really good to focus on writing consistently for the first time in a VERY long time. I've been figuring things out about what I'm doing with the serial, and I think I know what I want for Ralph -- and I've been doing my best to just fall in love with the characters all over again. Focusing on who these animals are really helps to flesh out the worldbuilding, which helps me to build the plot that much more smoothly. It turns out it's all connected! Who knew?

For now, I'd like to write ahead of where I'm posting for a little while. Then, I'll be doubling back to edit the earliest episodes of "CTC" so I can post them up on SoFurry and FurAffinity. Hopefully that will drive a few more folks to the Patreon; I have no idea how long this dry spell will last, so for now this is going to be my primary source of income. 

Anyway, I'm doing my best to turn this negative into a positive. :) In addition to beefing up actual updates, I'm hoping to (finally) debut a new story/serial for those of you who've been good enough to chip in at the $5/$10 level. I'd really like to create something that makes your patronage (and the patronage of any future generous individuals) worthwhile!

For now, stay tuned for the next two episodes of "Crushing The Competition" this week. Until then, patrons!

• Jakebe