Jul 28, 2015

Strange Things Are Afoot At The Circle K


Every so often the Universe has its own plans for you in life that supersede your own. And as much as you try to hang onto your idea of what you should be doing next, sometimes it's better to simply let go. Let the ubiquitous flow take you on a journey wherever it may want to lead.

My original plan for 2015 involved finishing Xodus by September for my editor. However, several things have strayed me from that path.

Life came along and whacked me over the head with a sledgehammer when I discovered a family member was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Although I've tried to rebound from that by going to a few U2 concerts and taking time to enjoy life, I still feel this ticking clock in the back of my head waiting for that dreaded phone call.

I had considered taking a break from writing Xodus because conjuring up a 100,000 word scifi epic takes quite a bit of focus and concentration, both of which I'm totally lacking right now. Yet I had this looming deadline...

See, originally, I had conceived of a 55,000 word novel, for which I had a thorough treatment. That part is written and done!


However, I was told that a proper scifi novel is around 100,000 words. Which, I thought, was fine since I actually had some rough ideas for a sequel. I figured I could take two books and make them one. Part 1 and Part 2. And so here I was with Part 1 finished, but Part 2 still needed a lot more plotting out before I really delved into the writing of it. I felt lost and pressured by my deadline.

And then the Universe stepped in and sent the winds of change...

My editor reached out to all of her clients. She would finish her current obligations, but then she'd be retiring.

I flew into a weird panic that paralyzed me. I couldn't possibly finish the book by September, so I had thought about asking her about an open timeline, but now that I learned she'd be stepping down I didn't think that would fly. What was I supposed to do now???

Then I met with my co-writer for our current weekly podcast and a new direction was born. (Go ahead. Say "new direction" out loud. Yes, I did that on purpose. *snicker*)

Between the Sheets with Melissa and Scarlett is a podcast about weird news, entertainment, pop culture, writing, sex, and more.

Our third episode starts out weird and gets weirder: We tried to change it up with aliens and bigfoot but ended up with "Darth Vibrator" and anal beads!



In amongst all the nonsense we decided we'd start writing the highly anticipated third installment of Saurimonde.

Thus, Xodus will go on hold until the start of next year and Saurimonde 3 is set to launch this fall.

Also, we've been toying with the idea of getting a booth at Comikaze this year. If that does indeed happen, we will let you know ASAP. We have some interesting ideas and surprises in store for you if it does. More details to come!

Lastly, because the Universe so likes to mess with me... I've been approached about giving a talk at a conference about my experience with antidepressants based on an article I wrote for femininepowercircle.com. I don't know yet if that's going to definitely happen and I'm nervous as all get out about it because I've never given a talk about anything before (unless you count all my Bono stories while waiting in the GA line), so wish me luck!!

Until next time...



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