With the Dirge duology now completed, I turn my sights onto the next project (or several).
First off, I’ve just finished outlining a new standalone story not set in Valsollas like my other stories, though perhaps it is loosely connected cosmologically speaking. For now all I’m going to say is that it’s in the same vein as Mieville’s bizarre fiction, infused with other things like Project Hail Mary, and Dark Matter. It's a strange feeling when a story kind of comes out of nowhere and consumes all of your focus and inspiration, but it is also an incredibly wonderful feeling and I'm beyond excited to start drafting this.
I have another short standalone that was roughly outlined but it seems it needs some solid reworking now, especially since the story above seems to be cannibalizing some of its elements. This one however is set in the Valsollas Galaxy, so I just need to rework some things (And beef it up significantly) for it to become its own thing. It will be quite different from all my other stories thus far, mostly in that it will be far more light-hearted. That said, anything is lighter than Dirge, ha! I actually already have the cover for this one completed - minus the typography - as I became obsessed with the cover artist long ago, and even though the story was only a short at the time, I knew I had to make it a cover for a book.
The third story that is at the forefront of my mind is the second novella in the My Mortal Memories series. I also have this roughly outlined, though I need to go over it a few more times to flesh out all the beats before I start drafting. I actually have the entire series broadly outlined, though I'll refrain from saying how many novellas there will actually be in the end - yikes - but I really like the idea of having lots of short reads for people to smash through in a weekend and also for my own creativity. Starting and finishing a new story in just a few months can be rewarding, especially if I'm ever feeling stuck later down the track with larger writing commitments. It will also hopefully help me from drifting off into obscurity if I have a more short turn around for releases, but that's not something I'm overly concerned about.
Depending how the timing goes, I might even have all three of these finished at once so then I can spread out their releases and get ahead of whatever I decide to work on next. There is no shortage of ideas, let me tell you that! I've got new worlds I want to explore, different genres, and different periods in the Valsollas Galaxy - my true home that I shall never abandon.
It will probably be a while until you hear from me again, but rest assured I'm hard at work to get more books out into the world. And yet, I'm learning again to find a proper balance in life with those I love and not worrying about sales, social media and all that nonsense. I'm trying my hardest to constantly remind myself what truly matters. Enjoying writing and the creative process without pressure. That's all that matters.
May Costhrall guide your light.
Until next time,
Calum
