September 2022 Update (Patreon)

Well, August disappeared really fast.  The last couple of weeks were nuts.  Cenotaph of Bones did... okay.  It hit the top 200 on Amazon, which is a definite drop from book three.  Everyone at Mountaindale was hoping it would break the top 100 like Red Mage did for Xander, but it just wasn't meant to be.  Reviews haven't been very nice either, so any reviews on Amazon and *especially* Audible are greatly appreciated.  Either way, hitting anything above 500 guarantees the next book in the series will get published, so that's good news.  Onward and upward, as they say.

Dragon Con was crazy.  I had no idea what to expect, and it was great to meet some of the other authors in the genre in person.  It was my first con of any kind, so the entire experience was a lot of fun.  I spent way too much money on booze and food, and I blame Michael Chatfield and Jez Cajiao.  British people know how to drink.  But, I can confirm that both of them are absolutely awesome in person.  I hung out with them for several days, and they are just the best.  I can also confirm Bryce O'Connor is super cool.  Dakota had a fan shake his hand so hard it dislocated his wrist, and Bryce fixed it.  I didn't know he was a Doctor of Physical-Something-or-Other, but he is, and he knows what he is doing.  There were a ton of other great authors I got to meet as well, but those were the guys I spent the most time with.

Now, for writing updates.  I lost my alpha reader entirely, (and fired another assistant), so getting someone to look over stuff before I can post it here has been impossible.  My alpha reader used to be my wife, but she had the surgery and I had to find someone else.  Then it was a nice lady recommended by another author, but she just had a baby and can't give me the time commitment necessary to do the job.  I'm trying out a new one right now (an old college professor friend), so hopefully I can get back on a regular drop schedule.  I'm also making another trip to the post office on Monday, so if I owe you a challenge coin, make sure you send me a direct message.  In fact, if I owe you anything, don't be afraid to reach out.  My assistant and I didn't separate on positive terms, so I have no idea what they did or didn't actually get done, besides charging ALL of their gas money on my business card.  They were very good at that.  I don't know what spreadsheets are accurate or not either, so like I said, PLEASE reach out.  I have come to the conclusion that I'm cursed to never find a good assistant.  Either they straight-up steal from me, or just take my money and do nothing.  Which, I guess, is another form of stealing when you think about it.  My new assistant, (a college student who is friends with my oldest daughter), starts October 1st, so I'm rolling solo for the rest of this month.  I want to get everything in order before she starts, to avoid wasting time undoing past mistakes.  Hopefully it isn't just wishful thinking.

Now, to say thank you for sticking with me, I'm dropping a whole book on you!  Paul and I have the third book in the Paired Cultivation series, titled 'On Wings of Qi' first draft done, and I will be releasing it on Patreon as soon as I can copy and paste them into the boxes.  That's right, four full unpublished books for your reading pleasure!  (Paired Cultivation 1-3, and Junfa April).  As always, any edits you see are appreciated.  As soon as the new alpha reader gives me a thumbs up, (and I give them the thumbs up on their editing process), I'll be dropping more chapters in Threads, Wandering Warrior, and Year of The Sword as well.  Dragon Con was a great learning opportunity, so I plan on taking everything I learned from those bigger and better authors and running with it while it's fresh in my mind.

Once again, thank you for all of your support.  I wouldn't be able to do it without you.

Michael