The time has come, I think, to finally break the silence. Heaven knows it’s been a while.
We’re working, in our way, on too many projects. Too many prospects. We are a brain overflowing with unharnessed inspirations gushing out in myriad directions. We have a sizable book in the raw :.Edison.:, part commentary on recent times and part Lit-RPG, following a rather unlikable addict of a sort in his insatiable quest to ride the bleeding edge of Progress. It’s big. It’s niche. It’s exhausting. It’s the second novel set in the city of Antwood.
Speaking of Antwood… in my attempt to explain what became of Miss Elena Parker and her (haunted) dollhouse at the conclusion of The Smith, I started a short story which accidentally turned into a 16k word novelette. (If anyone is interested in reading it, drop us a line. We are currently contemplating just where and how to publish it… it might have to wait for an anthology.)
There are (prominently) two inchoate tales knocking on my door at odd hours, taking turns according to the weather. Missing Embers (working title) will be the second book in the Lamp Land series, featuring a new character in addition to our returning heroine, Verdigris, and a click toward noir.
The other tale, Sanitation Run (working title), once more takes us into the city of Antwood and into a new pair of (running) shoes. The protagonist, Vale, comes to the forefront of my mind every time I put on my headphones and step outside for a run. Music propels her, and the narrative is driven by a soundtrack that copyright law will prohibit us to anything more than hint at. This snag makes me angry. YouTubers and Vloggers can use snippets of song and video for the purposes of commentary in accordance with “Fair Use” provisions, but heaven forbid a novel contain a single line from a song. So we’ll make it into a game and drop heavy-handed clues within each chapter and see if the reader can’t divine the song which served its basis.
We’re nothing if not unique.
Peace be with you.