It’s a challenge to focus on plans and dreams when the powerful men of the world are itching to destroy it, but we are where we are, as they say. Mediocre prevails and some of them are jealous of individuals with more imagination and creativity. The sentiment cut them down seems to be part of today’s political philosophy, but don’t let that stop you. Whatever your creative medium, film, music, performing, or writing, keep producing your beautiful art.

Plans

Most writers have a plan for the year, ranging from vague (I’ll write a book this year) to detailed (a battle plan of writing and publishing all mapped out). The important thing is, it’s a plan. I’m somewhere in between in that I’ve planned to write and publish 3 fiction books in the first half of the year, and I’ll do my best not to let anyone or anything thwart it.

Free bonus material when you sign up to my newsletter. Get it here!

Cut Them Down

Funnily enough, I just wrote the cut them down theme into a story, based on the age-old meme tall poppies have to be cut down. In case you haven’t heard of it, it means individuals who strive to be exceptional are a nuisance. They’re annoying. They look messy, breaking out of the even row of shorter plants. I just watched a local operator massacre a hedge with cutters on a mechanical digger. Now that spring approaches and birds will be looking for nesting sites, he cut the hedge in half, giving it a flat-top any barber would be proud of. He’s definitely on a cut them down mission. Anyway, the story I mention is a new edition of my futuristic urban fantasy crossover novel, Far Out, and the star of the show is Saffron, our tall poppy. You can find it here.

What Else for 2022

I’m currently working on Book 2 in my Dark Forest Dryad series, and I hope to get that out by May, and I’ll be writing Book 3 soon after, because readers are reluctant to commit to unfinished series. I understand that; as a reader, I feel the same. Interestingly, I think writers and readers get attached to characters in the same way; they get to know them and like hanging out with them in their worlds. A big motivation for me is that I’m looking forward to the second pass on a paranormal romance that was out with beta readers. I’ve got the feedback now and I know the way to go. I’m also working on a new screenplay. I plan to extend Far Out into a trilogy, so I hope to get feedback on the first book, too.

Series & Stand-Alones

Since I joined several indie writer and publishing groups on the big social media platform, I’m learning all the jargon. Critics, nitpickers and snidy sniffers beware, these writers are fierce. They all strive to be the tallest and they won’t let anybody cut them down. Some of them are earning 7 figures in royalties and they have the screenshots to prove it. I’m a pussy cat by comparison. I’m just a weed growing in the cracks. Anyway, to return to the point of this paragraph, I have 1 definite series, Dark Forest Dryad, urban fae fantasy, 2 potential series, Far Out and Tomb of the Ruby Heart, and one standalone, Flat Squirrel. You’ll find them all on Amazon and you can go through the links on the Home page if it’s easier. Flat Squirrel eBook format will be available from other bookstores soon through Smashwords, but you’ll need to go to Amazon for the paperback. It’s very smart, if I might say. Meanwhile I’m still writing screenplays and using those writing processes, but it’s a different industry and I can’t really discuss those for reasons of confidentiality.

Don’t let the negative forces cut you down. Keep creating, and keep appreciating the creators. They help us make sense of life.

Grab your free chapters here. Sign up for news, updates and more freebies!

Cover Art and banner heading by Cover Kreations, UK