March 2022 Author Update

Rapid Fire Bulletins

Hey guys,

I have some wonderful goodies to share for this March 2022 Author Update.

In case you missed my last post, Lafonda and Leo have some snazzy new artwork bringing them out of the page and into motion. You can check out the whole post here.

My short story polishing has paid off with my newest title: Amorphous Ties. I’ll be sending out the newest draft, as promised, to all of you lovely people in the Mustache Cartel as well. It still needs a final editing pass, so nothing’s set in stone yet. Please let me know what you think or if you have any feedback. As you guys are my audience, I enjoy hearing what everyone has to say.

For now, I’m planning on this being a Mustache Cartel Exclusive, but it may be narrated in the future. So be sure to sign up for the newsletter for those juicy sneak peeks. =)

What have I been working on?

I believe I mentioned this before, but if not, I’ll reiterate. I’ve applied all the feedback that I received from my class and fellow authors. Going back, I may cut three chapters as there’s some out of character moments and throwaway characters that deserve their own stories.

In fact, one of which, Darla, the narrator and main character of Amorphous Ties, got her start from the Hollow’s Heist cutting room floor. She is a rakehell squid. A psionic beast of dreams, illusion, mimicry, and subterfuge. At least grown-up she is.

In Amorphous Ties, she’s four. So, she’s a lovely kindergarten- eldritch horror hell-bent upon seeking crayons, dress-up, and scrum-diddly-umptious world domination. But she’ll settle for her host/father’s love.

A New Title?

Turning the corner back to Hollow’s Heist for the moment, would you guys be interested in a poll to determine its new title?

I feel while I love the alliteration of Hollow’s Heist, calling the book a heist, gives the impression that the entire book is one.

So one night while I couldn’t sleep, I wrote a list of thirty-odd prospective titles based on themes, plot, characters, and trends, but in the end it had whittled down to five.

But first, here’s the premise. The story’s set in a desert fantasy metropolis about an assassin brought back to life who must relearn her trade and identity, hoping to escape her guild in one final test: stealing an Ice Phoenix.

Number 5 was originally “Love, Heists, and other Necromancy,” if that changes your opinion. Admittedly, #4 & #5 may be too light and spirited for the themes. #4 to me sounds more like a thriller, but I’ll try to spare the rest of my thoughts so as not to sway opinions.

Runner-ups that failed the cut: And it Came Crumbling Down, The Grit of Undeath and Love, and Phoenix’s Bounty.

Here’s a link to the poll below.

What have I been writing?

I promised you guys honesty here on my posts, and to be honest, writing hasn’t been well. Outside of prepping Amorphous ties and Hollow’s Heist, I started three stories from ideas I had and haven’t married myself to any. One story has been my lunch break go-to, currently titled: The Gathering of Misfits.

The story follows a secretary of a waste disposal company caught in a crime web where she must recruit members of elite criminals and wielders of magical prowess for her superior or face the beheading of her sister.

I’m four chapters into the project just by writing for a few weeks, so it’s coming slowly but surely. I hope to lead this into my ideas for a true heist story set in Narcopolis, the city of the dead.

Ultimately, as my last post stated, my current goal is to write for fun and see what sticks. I’m fearful of being burned out, yet eager to write and publish something new. I feel guilty when it looks so far away until I can put out anything, and it’s a constant loop. So that’s been a struggle to say the least, but I’ve been working through it.

I hope to return to Song of Vashti and Sender’s Gate as I made a rough plot structure but left the endings ambiguous, so there’s still some room for discovery and pantzing.

Hell’s Deep skirted onto the back burner as Psyche’s story and those contributing it became more important.

What’s Next?

More than likely, I hope to finish the Gathering of Misfits, then dive into the Heist itself so I can write Psyche’s next story. That way I keep the universe in chronological order, expanding upon it as I go. Then I dive into the latter half for Song of Vashti from the same setting, or dip into Sender’s Gate for a younger audience again.

I’ve also been itching to write a follow-up for what happened to Luna from the end of Lafonda and Leo Heroes of the Land. It would be great to explore her powers, the world, and the mysterious letter from the aftermath of Cedar Run. There’s one line in my mind that sounds so Maxy in my head that I have to get it on paper. This one joke has led to a whole rabbit hole into werewolves and the fantasy bestiary and puns. So much puns!

Unfortunately, some of these may fall by the wayside as there never seems enough time in a day. Not until I can quit my day job, lol.

Concluding Remarks

That wraps up all the news. Please let me know your thoughts on the title in poll below.

The kindle edition of my books may go on sale soon! I’ll keep you posted on Facebook. : )

And as always, thanks for reading.

-Antonio