Outpost Report | February Monthly Roundup
Revision is War.
RECORDED LOG | UNRECOVERABLE
LOCATION: FLEET, LISTENING POST NINETY-FOUR
“Unidentified ship. Transmit transponder code now.”
DATA CORRUPTION, FILE NOT FOUND.
War’s come to my projects. Battles might be lost, but the final tally hasn’t been counted yet. The hard part’s just getting started. We’re past the point of mercy, so let’s see the blood of it.
Town Herald:
Intensity:
Keeping the blog running takes time, and I want to make sure I’m bringing value from the free subs to the Ko-dons. I’ll be making some minor adjustments, hitting your inbox at a slightly higher cadence. What does it mean? It means date shifting for some posts, adding a post on the 15th. It started this month with The Warmaster. More to follow. Also, expect an Artifactory Log to drop for you. Won’t tell you when or who…
I’ve also noticed that a good number of regulars come around quite often. You’ve been inside the signal long enough. I want you to see what the war room looks like. I won’t tell you when it’ll happen, but the window will be short (24–48 hours), and a select few of you will peer behind the veil. Stay tuned.
Editor:
Decimation Protocol went to the editor first thing in February, so now we’re just waiting on the finished product. This is the first time using this editor, so awaiting the verdict. Then, it’s all about corrections and getting it ready for publication.
Cover:
The cover for Decimation Protocol is done, and in case you missed it, see last month’s Roundup. I’m very pleased with Ivan’s work, his ability to capture the location and providing a fresh take at the same time. It really pops on the page. But for what I have planned, Ivan might have his work cut out for him in WMS3.
Birthday Giveaway:
My birthday is around the corner, and like the Christmas giveaway, it’ll hit your inbox. So, if you’re paying attention, you’ll get the chance to scoop up one of my works. Stay tuned. Hint: it’s in March.
Free Book:
Speaking of giveaways, I noticed a lot of you didn’t pick up your free copy when you joined, so I’ll share the link now. Go here to download Red Creek. Once you’ve read it, come back and let me know what you think!
Battle Formations:
Audiobook:
I’ve been plagued with technical difficulties of every kind. If it’s not the equipment, it’s the software. Right now, Apple owes me a fix, and it’s dragging ass. Red Creek’s calling my name. The voices are the easy part. It’s the post-editing that’ll take the most time.
Maro 3:
Maro’s next up on the docket, both for the final draft and going to the editor. Draft five is always time-and-labor intensive, but the effort makes sure it’s worthy of your time and your shelves. Maro’s got himself a bit of a quagmire in this one, a good ole fish-out-of-water tale meets a heist.
Maro 4:
This story’s sitting at the first draft, and I need to belt out four more of them by next year, so it’ll be getting its second draft shortly. In this story, we go back to the roots of the origin story, and in more ways than one.
WMS 2:
Once the manuscript returns, it’s usually a race to get it out quickly. This go-around, I’m going to take some time to study, hopefully giving it a better launch than my usual. Right now, I’m eyeing a late June window. I’ll be looking into the art of advertising and social media presence. Right now, I’m looking at book magnets, and eventually, to running ads.
That said, I will also be searching for ARC readers who will have reviews ready to go on launch day. If you’re interested in reading a military sci-fi fantasy before anyone else, let me know!
WMS 3:
I’ve officially started this book, fleshing out the first few chapters. There are some things that need to be done first, and I want to tackle that. In my books, there’s always cause and effect, risk vs. reward, and when the cost comes, you’ve got to pay it. So, expect to see that at the start of WMS3. Don’t know how long I’ll be in this universe, but it’ll be time well spent.
Vol. II:
Sifting through this tome has been a grind, not because it’s horribly written or anything, but because I burned myself out on the first one and should’ve taken some time off before diving into the next one. I’ll get there, just might take longer than I initially thought. Here’s the details…
Vol II: Start Date: 12/22/25
Prologue 1/1
Chapters: 40/66 <—Yes, I cut a chapter. You won’t miss it.
Epilogues: 0/6
Starting Word Count: 242,911
Revised Word Count: 225,300
Morale: comatose.
17,000 words have been executed, excised from the manuscript, and they were necessary casualties. Revision is war, and I aim to win.
Maro 7:
Started on this story, but set it down—for now. I love the concept behind it, the monster I’ve chosen, but I was feeling the call to jump into WMS 3. I will circle back to this story, but we’ve got time, and I need to prioritize. I’ll give you a hint though. I chose a cryptid.
Vol. III:
This book will be the next clean up, and there will be little done to it. It’s more about reading it, putting it in the right format, and making sure a few lines aren’t in the story. Should be quick, as very little will change. The revisions for Vol. I & II have been about bringing them more in line with the tone of this book.
Vol. IV:
The next major operation: Project Behemoth. First, draft five; then, the editor. This next round is about compression and polishing. It’s sitting at 273,000 words, the longest in the series thus far, but I haven’t finished the series yet…It won’t survive intact, not when I’m cleaning it up. Every cut leaves its mark.
Dark Legacy Series (DLS):
For those of you who are eagerly awaiting the next book, it starts right on the heels of Vol. III. In fact, as of right now, Vols. III–VIII are back-to-back. In many ways, it’s like a ratcheting tension and it builds to one hell of a crescendo.
I’ve always been afraid of not sticking the landing, as most books and movies don’t live up to the hype created by all that preceded it. I can confidently say: the landing will be worthy of the climb.
Closing and Recalibrating:
Here’s what to watch for in the coming month: fewer pokers in the fire, more momentum. This post shows you all I’ve been doing on the back end, but now I need to consolidate and streamline to get ahead, so that’s what I’m going to do. I’m still on target for 10 books in 5 years, even going back through with revisions, but the window is tightening fast.
March posts will be WMS-focused, sneak peeks and character-centric analysis. Should be fun. Can you guess where we’re headed next?
Access coming to an end. Members find your decrypted files. Ko-dons are granted access to full archives. That’s all I got for this round—short, sharp, and sweet. I shall return…