Taking a Break...

Hey Everybody,

I just wanted to let you know that I have finished "Empty Eyes," the fourth story in the mid-grade horror series. I feel pretty good about it. Right now, I'm waiting on my primary test reader to check it before I start any editing, but while I wait I'm taking a break. I've found that after completing a project it's generally a good idea to take a week or two off to kind of re-calibrate your brain for writing.

In other writing news, I actually did come up with a better idea for the fifth book of the series while I was writing the fourth. I have a rough idea of where I'm going with that and will probably write up a detailed outline of it next week. I think this idea is much better than the one I had before, mostly because the one I had before was about something seasonal, specifically associated with the Christmas season. That being the case, if I manage to get enough fans with the first five books, I might be able to release that around Christmastime.

So, here's what I've been up to...video games. I've been playing Fire Emblem Fates Conquest for the Nintendo 3DS, and I've been playing on World of Warcraft again. (No worries, I won't let it eat my soul.) It's probably been over ten years now since I've played WOW. It's kind of hard to believe. A few of my friends started playing again and talking about it and eventually I couldn't resist, especially after I finished my book.

I basically play during odd times when I'm not taking care of the house or the children (basically the times when I would normally write). I think it'll be a nice break for another week or so and then I'll be back to writing in no time. For some reason, video games sometimes exercise my imagination in the same sort of way that playing table-top RPGs do. I find myself spacing out thinking about what the characters might be thinking or feeling especially in terms of other character interactions. (Hence, on of the reasons I love Fire Emblem games.)

Anyway, if I'm quiet for another week you'll know what I'm doing, but I'll try not to be too quiet. Things always are going on and I'll keep you posted on them. In the meantime, keep reading and writing.