2022 Update – What Lies Ahead

I’m still here.

We’ve been in a pandemic for the last two years and while I’ve weathered it alright, it’d be impossible to say that I was unaffected.

First off, my writing habits had to change. Most of my work happened in my local coffee shops. This is how I extract myself from my home and more importantly the endless distractions that are in my home. With that gone, I had to try to work in my home.

To say the least, it’s been difficult. At least I saved that coffee money.

That’s not to say there hasn’t been work done. Actually I was investigating the serial novel thing that came out on Amazon. The result of that is what I’ll be working on after finishing Buried Instincts. After I decided though that serial novels weren’t right for me given the current state of my life, I’m back to writing Buried Instincts 3 full time, but I also have a solid idea for what’s coming after.

If you’re one of the people in Davis who have been pestering a certain shipping store and has been directed here, greetings! Thank you very much for your support. Some of you left video messages with your feedback and I was very humbled and grateful that you took the time to do that. I can reassure you all that I’m committed to finishing the story and currently have about 70 pages written. I hope that the pace will pick up in the weeks ahead. I’m as eager as you to know what happens next.

One thing about 2021 is that it was the Year of the Ox according to the Chinese Lunar calendar. Since Ox is my birth year, many people will tell you that it’s going to be a bad year for you. That’s kind of an oversimplification. Most fortune tellers would advise caution as they predict that your life is going to change in some way. It certainly did for me. Because of the pandemic, one of my usual hobbies became impossible to do because I need to be in close contact with people to do it. So, because I needed something to do that would give me the same mind clearing meditative effect, I dusted of my koto and started playing it again.

Then I hit the wall. Embarrassingly quick. I needed a teacher. So I found one that would teach me remotely. She straightened me out and soon I was learning new music. It was magical. I’d never heard this stuff and it was seriously giving me goosebumps. Eventually, the vaccines came out and then more eventually, my low priority tier could go out and get one. I got my shots and started learning in person.

Anyway, fast forward to today and now I’m busier than ever. Maybe I’m being greedy, because my old hobby is slowly coming back, but I also have to make time for the new hobby. Even worse, I’ve added a second instrument to the mix because my lovely girlfriend wanted to learn that one, so I’m accompanying her on that journey. (More on that later, it’s a story worthy of its own post.)

Also, I need to redesign this website. Yeah, it’s not very exciting, I know. It probably won’t be very exciting after I sit down and change it to better reflect what’s going on with me, but I’ve got to start somewhere. I’m also hoping that if I write it down here it will motivate me to get off my ass and do it.

So there you go. Things are coming!