It’s day 190 of some form of lockdown here in London; autumn has descended, Project XI has been dispatched to the editor for November edits with edits to Minus Epsilon, the first book of the Earth Saga series starting in October. Sales are up, pages read are up. Bonza.
In relative terms, it’s been quiet lately. I’ve decided that the best course of action with ‘work’ is to plough through all the manuscripts I have lying around that require editing. With Project XI dispatched to the editor, I’m sitting on Project X, XII, XIII and XIV. They all need edits in some form or another before being sent out for revisions. I’m currently editing Project XIV, a novella, which I hope to release in late December. With any luck, I’ll get two books out this year, then two more books out in the first quarter of 2021.
With expectations of a grim winter as a result of our latitude and the Corona Virus, I’ve been squeezing in a few more walks around town. A recent stroll brought me to St James’s Park, while another had me in Greenwich. I’ll have to say having the dog for these little expeditions makes them more enjoyable. Unfortunately, the dog has gone ‘home’. I’d like a dog, a Border Terrier—the first and only option.
On the entertainment front, I watched First Man, a film focused on Neil Armstrong and the Apollo program, and unfortunately, I was unimpressed. I’d rather watch Apollo 13 with Tom Hanks for the 9th time than watch First Man again. I also think the Right Stuff is a better film.
Reading wise, I’ve gone from nuclear war to mercenaries, on to the atomic bomb. I’m not sure how aware people are of the threat of atomic weapons, and how close we’ve come to annihilation over the last 70 or so years, but it’s scary as hell. Even a small nuclear skirmish between India and Pakistan could be the end of everything as we know it. The only chance we have as a species would be complete nuclear disarmament.
And speaking of autumn, I found this little guy the other morning on my balcony.
With September coming to a rapid closure, and no relief from COVID on the horizon, the plan is to batten down the hatches and edit. Get the current stack of manuscripts ready for dispatch to the editor, then focus on Project XV.
To clarify, and perhaps to inform, here is the current slate of new material that should be released in the next six months with TV or film references:
Project XI: Murder on Valtameri. Think Poirot in space.
Project XIV: Escape from Jarosis. Think Escape from New York, but without Snake Plissken.
Project XII: A War Beneath the Clouds. Think War Horse meets Platoon.
Project XIII: Lockdown (working title). Think Contagion meets Outbreak.
All four of these novels should be released before the end of March. Hopefully.
With that in mind, it’s time to watch the highlights of the Russian Grand Prix and do some editing.
Stay safe out there.