WRITING UPDATES
New updates listed first. Scroll down for older updates.
“The Faceless God is so much more than a sequel to The Deadbringer — it enriches and brings a deeper understanding to the world and its characters.”
August Updates, 2024
8/20: Newsletter heading your way in September. Updates include deets for the hardcover edition of To Nurture & Kill, an Ellderet tale of love and loss, the story of one man’s search for meaning amid the ashes of war. Think Logan meets The Mandalorian. Ebook and paperback available direct from me and Amazon/KDP.
Moving on to The Faceless God: Part Two, I’m super happy to announce that 2025 is the year that we return to the world of the Ellderet!! More deets in next month’s newsletter. THANK YOU DEAR READERS FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT! Y’ALL ARE THE BEST 💜
There’s still a ton of work ahead of me, but I’ll keep y’all updated here on my website. As always you can check out what I’ve been listening to as I type the latest chapter. Recent updates include Apoptygma Berzerk, Chrystabell & David Lynch, and José Alfredo Jiménez.
February Updates, 2024
2/27: Tonight is for writing 🌖🐟 Newsletter heading your way early March.
{ Meanwhile } …
December Updates, 2023
12/2: Within these journals exist the lives of my characters—their dreams, their fears, their hopes.
October & November Updates, 2023
11/16: Dear Readers, a Newsletter of the Cursed was supposed to go out yesterday, but I lost a large portion of the text I’d been working on. This error is my fault for not properly saving and I’m very sorry for the delay. I had hoped to piece together what’d been lost and send out the newsletter today, but what I lost took more than one day to write, so yeah. Because of this, the latest Newsletter of the Cursed will be dropping on 11/20. I’ll be talking about the research that goes into the world of the Ellderet 💜
{ Meanwhile } …
10/27: Happy Friday! Newsletter heading your way early November.
{ Meanwhile } … Gone fishing 🎣 IYKYK
Aug & Sept Updates, 2023
9/19: Currently working on revising the chapter I submitted to my writing group, all of whom had great feedback. Very thankful for their guidance 💜
{ Meanwhile } …
9/14: The latest issue of Newsletter of the Cursed is live! Read here: https://mailchi.mp/732859e6aaaf/september-2023-updates
9/13: Newsletter going out SEPT 14. I’m in the process of finalizing the text, but all the backend work such as resizing images, uploading a new YouTube video, manually adding in new subscribers—thank you!!!—and so on is done.
9/8: Happy Friday, y’all!! Newsletter coming your way Sept 13 14 💌 Also, I’m going to be at Rose City Comic Con Sept 22-24. I’ll be joining the amazing LS Johnson at TABLE KK-06
{ Meanwhile } … Once more, I find myself listening to Lycia’s “Sorrow is her Name” as I type away at the forthcoming The Faceless God - Part Two.
8/31: Updates coming soon! For now, I find myself listening to this song over and over again as I type 🎧
April & May Updates, 2023*
WRITING ROUND UP
Please note: Proyecto Lluvia (Project Rain) is my working name for a specific arc that will feature in the forthcoming second part of The Faceless God. Each number represents a chapter.
Finished Writing: Proyecto Lluvia: PL4 - So I had to put aside PL2 (more below) and skipped ahead to PL4, because I had an idea I wanted to catch. That idea involved swapping out one character for another in a chapter that I had already written. I’m very pleased with the results! That’s the beauty of revisions; they give you the opportunity to go deeper, if you so choose. Sometimes going deeper is not the solution, but sometimes it is.
Personally, I feel like the important thing to keep in mind when swapping out characters is to remember that, just like one’s friends and family in real life, no two are alike. Feeling as I do meant discarding a portion of what I had already written to make room for the other character’s personality: their mannerisms, their way of speaking, their responses and interactions to those around them and their environment.
Equally important is rewriting how the other characters involved in the chapter react and think. For example, think about the way you interact with someone you just met versus someone you’ve known for years. Chances are there are differences, no matter how subtle.
Currently Writing: Proyecto Lluvia: PL2 - As I mentioned in my last newsletter, I answered the question From whose POV should I start, and why? There are so many moving parts to this chapter, so many layers that need to be peeled back and closely examined and written down in my “Character Journals”. Even if none of these layers make it into PL2, I know that I need to understand them before I can move forward.
This is part of my process.
Currently, the question I find myself asking is What do I want to show, and how much?
Gone Fishing: Proyecto Lluvia: PL3, PL5 - After I finished PL4, I moved on to the fifth chapter of this arc. I caught a few fish but quickly let most of them go. The waters felt choppy, uneasy. The fish were there, but tiny, as if they lacked substance. Thankfully, I quickly realized that what I needed was a chapter before PL4, and so PL3 was born. And just like that, the fish grew larger in size and are eager to keep growing.
As always you can check out what I’ve been listening to as I type the latest chapter. Recent updates include José Alfredo Jiménez and Front 242.
*excerpt taken from newsletter
February & March Updates, 2023*
Finished Writing: Proyecto Lluvia (Project Rain): PL1 - this is my working name for a specific arc that will feature in the forthcoming second part of The Faceless God. My writing group received the first half of this chapter well, so it’s reassuring to know that The Idea I had spoke to others, particularly since I had discarded the original draft for this chapter. Sometimes it’s best to start with a blank page, to not glance at The Idea you keep chasing after, but walking away from what’s been written can be hard. I think even harder still is recognizing when The Idea isn’t working, especially when you thought you had figured out the problem.
Feeling frustrated, I took a step back and in my journal answered each of the following questions at length:
What elements of The Idea are not working, and why?
How does The Idea affect the past, the present, and the future of the characters?
How does The Idea affect the larger world, if at all?
What emotions does The Idea draw out from each of the characters?
Am I showing too much, too soon?
What purpose does The Idea serve?
And finally: Is it time to set The Idea aside and move on?
And move on I did.
I had to remind myself that it’s OK to let go of Ideas (and word count) that don’t nourish the world of the Ellderet or perhaps aren’t quite ready to be introduced. Sometimes, I have to go on that journey and explore other ideas before I can “catch” the right one. And, like David Lynch likes to say, I caught a pretty big fish!
Currently Writing: Proyecto Lluvia (Project Rain): PL2 - I’ve moved on to the second chapter of this arc. Before starting, the first question I asked myself was From whose POV should I start, and why? Once I figured out the chapter would be told from multiple POVs, I then planned the order in which the POVs would best highlight the characters and advance the story.
Oh! And don’t forget that you can check out what I’ve been listening to as I type this latest chapter. I add to it when I find myself listening to a song over and over again. TY to everyone who has visited! I wasn’t certain whether anyone would be interested 🙏
*excerpt taken from newsletter
January Updates, 2023*
Happy New Year! Feliz Año Nuevo! I hope 2023 is kicking off to a great start for everyone 💙
First newsletter of the year has been sent out
Currently Writing: The restructuring of what I am going to call Proyecto Lluvia (Project Rain)—for my readers who haven’t yet had a chance to read TFG: Part One—is done. What this means: Currently written chapters have either been spaced out to further develop the story, or have been partially repurposed. I’m close to finishing an entirely new chapter and am loving it! For the curious, you can check out what I’ve been listening to as I type this chapter. I add to it when I find myself listening to a song over and over again. (excerpt taken from newsletter)
December Updates, 2022
Newsletter of the Cursed going out this Saturday Sunday!! with a nice holiday surprise. Don’t miss out and subscribe!
Currently Writing: TFG - Part Two. Some restructuring is going on as I take a bird’s eye view to look at pacing, character arcs, and other major elements in the story. Having Part One done and in your hands has given certain ideas room to grow, and I’m now in the process of exploring them. The only way I can find out what’s at the end of the road is by walking down it. Or in this case, writing. (excerpt taken from newsletter)
The Ellderet Store is now open for business! All prices include shipping and taxes.
November Updates, 2022
More deets coming soon! I’m currently in the process of updating my Shop 🌱 The Ellderet Shop is now open!
September 25, 2022
Dear Readers:
Tomorrow’s the day!! Prepare to dive back into the world of the Ellderet, to continue the stories of Kira, Eutau, and the Sanctifiers as they fight to survive.
The Faceless God - Part One: Spirits & Ash is the first of two parts that make up the complete book. Because a frustrating amount of time was stolen from me by the chemotherapy treatments I had to undergo this year, I’ve decided to publish The Faceless God in two parts. Part Two (forthcoming) still needs more revisions before it is done. I understand if readers are pissed off by this choice, and for that I am truly sorry. However, I think this is the right thing to do, as the alternative was to betray the story and the characters by publishing something I’m not satisfied with.
