The Power of Words is a Go! My Release Schedule for the Near Future

Greetings all,

Things looked a little grim in late March when I realized I only had a total of four stories for The Power of Words. I had other submissions, but they weren’t right for it.  Please know I’m not saying they weren’t solid stories, but some just didn’t fit the theme or genre for the project.

What I did was tally up the word count for what stories I knew I had, and it turns out we have about 67,000 words. It’s certainly not as big as some of the anthologies I’ve seen, but I believe TW, Richard, and Heidi wrote some powerful short stories, and I’m proud of my contribution as well.

When working on an anthology, there’s a lot to consider. One thing to consider is when the best release time would be. We all talked, and we’ve decided our target release time for The Power of Words will be October of 2018. That means a few things have to shift for me. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just news I want to make sure you all get.

So, here’s my release schedule for the near future.

May 1 (or as close to that as Amazon releases it): Bob’s Greatest Mistake, Part Two of The Journals of Bob Drifter. If you’ve already read the whole book, you’ve already read this part of it. I can’t stress enough this isn’t a sequel. However, if you’ve only read the first part, or if you haven’t yet given Bob a chance, this will be your opportunity. I plan to do some cool stuff here, and I’ll make more announcements on this once I’m done with the formatting and a proofread (because no one can do enough of those).

Aug. 1 (or as close to that as Amazon releases it): Something Always Remains, Part Three of The Journals of Bob Drifter. By August, readers will be able to try any portion or all of Bob’s story, and I’m pretty thrilled about that.

However, I didn’t want a year to go by without any new stories from yours truly.

October of 2018: The Power of Words anthology. This was the best time for all of us, and I think we’re all pretty stoked to get this story out. For great Science Fiction (well, one’s a Zombie apocalypse story, but it fits) stories from at least three great authors (I feel weird when I try and call myself “great,” especially in comparison to those three).

Some of you may remember I’d announced that Sojourn in Despair was scheduled for release in November. The truth is, releasing a book that quickly after another doesn’t really make a ton of sense unless I have a flock of other stories to release. I don’t. My goal is to release four projects a year, and I can only work so fast.   So Sojourn has to get pushed back.

Jan. 1, 2019 (or as close to that as Amazon releases it): Repressed, an Oneiros Log YA Novella. I love Kaitlyn as a character, and as the Oneiros log continues, she’ll have a bigger role. To bridge the gap between book one (Caught) and book two, I wrote this story to show where Kaitlyn is and how the team has progressed in the four years between books.

Elele’s Chapter Icon.

April 1, 2019 Sojourn in Despair, A Perception of War Novella.  Not only will this story come out as an ebook, but I’ll also release a flip book (paperback) putting Elele’s and Kaitlyn’s stories together.  On one side, you’ll have Repressed, and Elele’s story will be on the other. This will give me another physical book to sell at conventions and give readers the chance to get two stories at a solid price.

All of those stories are done or close to done. I don’t immediately see any reason why any of those dates should change (God’s will be done). I have two drafts left on Repressed and three drafts left on Worth of Words (that title will probably change soon). When I finish Repressed, I’ll get hard to work on Betrayed, Book Two of the Oneiros Log. My hope is for that to be released by October of 2019. I’m sorry I won’t get the whole trilogy out, but I promise I’ll get the trilogy complete (again, subject to God’s will regarding health and life) by 2020. There’s a short-story series I’m planning on doing as well. I’d like to get the first episode of that out in 2019 as well. I’ve also been mentioning a secret project. That project has been submitted to an editor for a major comic book company. All it is at the moment is a favor for a friend and an opportunity I’m excited about. If it pans out, I’ll be the first to announce it (after I’m done running laps around my condo property shouting for joy). Until then, I’d rather keep it under wraps.

I can’t ever thank you all enough for giving your time and attention to my work. I’m constantly humbled at your interest. I hope you’re as excited about these upcoming releases as I am.

Thanks for reading,

V/R
Matt

Caught is out!

This is truly the best feeling in the world. My second novel is finally live and out in the world.

Most of you who’ve been following me have been so amazingly supportive. Now the book is out and being delivered to all those who have preordered.

You can still purchase the ebook for just 99 cents on Amazon.

You can also purchase the paperpack through Amazon.

If you want a signed copy, you can get one through my online store.

I decided not to go with hard covers this time around. With Bob, hard covers were rarely something readers wanted, and I wanted to give readers what they want.

I also got the first review back for Caught, and it’s so kind.  I want to send a special thank you to Sinisterdarksoul for the kind review!

Thank you all again, and I hope you enjoy the book. Whatever you think, please be kind enough to leave a review as they’re invaluable to authors, especially independent authors like me.

As always, thanks for reading,

Matt