I have hit the proverbial wall. The first draft is always the hardest part of writing for me. The next book in my Protectors of Pretanni series, Desperate Dispatches has become problematic. I’ve written 2.5 of the four novellas for the book and I can go no further at the moment. It’s drudgery, not fun at the moment.

I’ve spoken to other authors and they all give the same advice: work of something different. At RavenCon, I was asked if I wanted to summit a story for an anthology inspired by Jules Verne. My brain has latched onto this concept and I’m going to write a short story: Around Mars in Eighty Days. I already plotted out the story arc and I hope to have the first draft completed by the end of April and summitted by the end of May.

I’ve been going non-stop for the last 2.5 years and I’ve decided to take a breath and reevaluate. If it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing. Have no fear, I still plan on publishing Desperate Dispatches this year, just not in early August like I’d hoped. It should make a great Christmas present!