The Marshmallow Ranch Gazette (Patreon)

Volume 4, Issue 23 - Tuesday, December 3rd, 2019

Howdy, patrons!

Just like that, it's December -- my favorite time of the year! Growing up as a Jehovah's Witness meant that I didn't get to play in any reindeer games; my first actual Christmas celebration didn't happen until somewhere in my mid-20s. I have a lot of lost time to make up for, so I tend to go pretty hard for the holidays. Well, as hard as my scattered brain will allow. 

This year my husband and I will be travelling to the mid-south to visit his family. They're fairly conservative in most things (though thankfully I don't think any of them voted for Trump), but we still get on fairly well. I've enjoyed the holidays with them twice now, and they consider me a part of the extended clan. My mother-in-law is an awesome cook, and while no family is without its struggles the holidays are a pretty great time of year for them. Folks are coming in from across the country to be together, and I'm really looking forward to it. 

I usually talk about my plans for Crushing The Competition here, but I don't think I will this time. Too much talking and not enough doing. I will say that I'm planning for Episode 24 to be published this Thursday, and there will likely be one more episode coming this year before I take a holiday break. Holy shit, I know! A *planned* break?? What is this world coming to?!

What I hope to do in the off time is begin editing the first episodes of the story so that they can go up for free somewhere. Once the edits are done, I definitely plan to post them here first. I'd really like to see if I can keep the story intact, more or less, while also making it a lot more enjoyable to read. You know, consistent characterization, sharper worldbuilding, actual sex scenes -- the stuff that you've no doubt come to this Patreon for in the first place. 

I'd also like to plan for the next year of the Jackalope Serial Company so that we've got some good momentum going into 2020. January will be a bit of a hectic month, with Further Confusion hitting right after the new year, but it's important to make sure I've got my habits properly set so they're more resilient to that kind of disruption. My early New Year's goal is to make sure I have 50 episodes of a serial published in 2020, and I'm not going to get there by falling on my face right out of the gate.

I know that the holidays can be difficult for a lot of us out there, but I sincerely hope that all of you find a measure of peace and contentment this season. I truly appreciate all of you, and I am dedicated to making sure you know it through next year. Until then, these characters aren't going to fuck themselves…

• Jakebe