New Stories Being Written!

Hello again for my new annual blog post, lol. I'm starting to feel like George R. R. Martin now compared to my writing speed in the past. But I have had very good reasons in recent years, and this last year is no different.

About a month ago, my wife and I welcomed our first child, a son, into the world! He has been so precious and overall a good baby, but he is a newborn all the same. This last year has been filled with preparations and challenges and working extra hard at my day job to secure an exceptional end-of-year bonus to pay for all this. Which, thank God, I did receive.

So, as you can infer from the blog post title, the new stories being written are mainly in my own life. But actual writing is happening too! I am most of the way through my final edits for that third book. I actually completed the manuscript the morning of Halloween in 2024, which based on its subject matter is quite fitting. On top of that, I am nearly 50 pages into its sequel, and I've taken breaks away from everything to scrawl out another hundred pages across four other future stories, putting some more bones in place, including a few tendons here and there.

The Harbinger audiobook is equally pending, due to limited free time, and quiet time in my recording environment (the study). I am overall very happy with its quality though. Cost aside, I want to be able to record my stories in my own voice, so that I can bring them to life in the way that I want (shy of being able to hire a full cast and sound editor, lol). I will try to have shorter stories in the future to cut down on production time (and for my own sense of accomplishment), but that's at least two books away.

So thank you to those fans who have been reading and sharing the books around. Honestly, that's my best appeal to cut down on delays. If you do enjoy my writing, please buy an audiobook and/or physical book and share the stories around to others who might be interested as well. I'd be able to devote more time to things if there was more cost incentive. I understand that's not how it works for most artists, and especially for passion projects and hobbies, but it is the truth. I do feel like I'll have a better schedule again in the future, but that's in terms of the next decade.

As much as I love writing, I love my family so much more. I'm doing my best to treasure every moment with them. They are all so precious. I know I'll miss even the tiring times that come with raising an infant once he's grown.

That was the lesson of my Villa Vista Duology series. Back then, and the years earlier, I wrote because I craved those interactions and the real love of a wife and children. Now that God has blessed me with them, I'm not going to squander all of those precious moments.

So, in case my next blog post isn't until next year's anniversary, I'll wish you another wonderful holiday season! Now is the time to share the stories with new readers for sure.

Remember, the most important story in your life is your own. Always keep your priorities where they should be.

- Frank