Progress Update
2019 had a promising start with the publication of Shards of Faith in early spring. But it ended up being a challenging year for me personally, which made it difficult to get substantial writing done on the next book. That doesn’t mean I wasn’t working, however. I used my creative dry spell as a time to get other things accomplished, like a much needed re-edit of Journey to Aviad, and my series timeline, which is now quite extensive and current to the chapter I’m writing now. Though it’s not something readers will ever see, it was important for me to make sure I hadn’t accidentally made any mistakes, and that I don’t make any going forward.
By the end of 2019 I was really starting to feel the pressure, and I managed to get my writing back on track. Now in 2020, I’m making up for lost time and really kicking things into high gear. Between Jan-Feb I managed to get out 30,000 words, which is a pretty significant chunk. So far I’m on track in March to best my numbers from February. Numbers aside, the point is that I’m making good progress toward keeping my promise of publishing the next book this year. If I can stay on track, I’ll have this book finished before summer, which will be a huge relief to me, and great news for all you readers who have been waiting patiently.
In the meantime you can get more progress updates and stay connected to my book world by subscribing to my author newsletter which comes out twice per month. Check out the latest newsletter and get a free copy of my short story collection when you help me out by sharing this week’s Ancient Voices sale on your social media. (Details are in the newsletter.)
First, the peanut gallery–courtesy of my youngest daughter. They mainly offer ideas, and sometimes point out typos and other little mistakes I’ve made as I’m writing. I can only handle them in small doses though. Like most birds…well, how to say this delicately…they simply talk too much. I know a lot of writers enjoy background noise and even music while they write, but for me to immerse myself in a totally different world, I need to be able to tune out this one. Peace and quiet while I sit at my desk helps my imagination flow.
Then there’s tech support for all those pesky Windows updates that insist on pushing through whether I want them or not. Usually as soon as I walk away from my computer, too. I’m always afraid I’m going to lose whatever I’ve been writing when that happens. So far I’ve been lucky! The problem with losing a piece of writing is, no matter how good your memory, you’ll never re-create it exactly the same way twice. Cera is 18, so she’s got a lot of experience at walking across keyboards. Somehow she knows how to make my computer do things I never even realized were possible.
Finally there’s my moral support team…a few of them anyway. Yeah, that’s me somewhere under that pile of animals. Their job is to keep me wedged into my seat so that I can’t wander off and get distracted by other things. It’s so much easier to just keep writing. I’ve learned to be ready to grab my laptop at any moment though to keep it from crashing to the floor. A ringing doorbell means the world is quite possibly coming to an end, and it’s their job to warn the whole neighborhood about it. They take the job pretty seriously!
I’ve been working diligently on my next novella which features Broguean the Bard, and for those of you who have been waiting so patiently, I’m happy to announce that the wait is almost over!
These tunnels are believed to have been constructed in the Middle Ages, but no one can figure out who built them, or why. And there aren’t just a few…over 2,000 tunnels have been discovered so far! They are smooth and rounded, carved right into the bare earth. They aren’t very large, only a few feet tall and wide. “Slip outs” are small holes that connect passages that are running at different elevations. Some of these are so tight, a person would have to literally squeeze through them to move from one tunnel to another.
What are some of the theories? Some say they were used for storage. Not likely given they were small, dirty, wet, and difficult to get in and out of. Another theory is they were places where people hid from marauders. The small size of the tunnels, and lack of oxygen inside, would make this fairly impractical, too. Not to mention with only one way in and out, if their hiding place was ever discovered it would become a tomb rather than a way of escape. Some think the tunnels might have spiritual significance; a place for the souls of the deceased, or perhaps even dark spirits to dwell. Austrian folklore gives goblins the credit for their existence.
I kind of wish I’d known about these erdstall tunnels when I lived in Germany so I could experience one for myself. In reality though, I’m horribly claustrophobic, so you’d have to practically kill me to get me in there. I’d no doubt peer with wonder into the small, dark entranceway, get a nose-tingling whiff of damp earth, take a couple of pictures, and that would be the extent of my adventure.
Allison D. Reid 