Update, and My Apology For the Delay

I had high hopes for this fall. I had planned on releasing the last book in my Sea Monster Memoirs series, Sacred Seas. I planned on releasing the first episode of my newest series, Virtual Arcana, and then a new episode of that series every couple of weeks. Planned, planned, planned.

And then The Funk hit me—hard.

Many writers might be able to relate. You set goals, you’re excited about new projects, and then something happens, or an array of things happen, and months pass in the blink of an eye along with your plans. You have no finished books. Heck, you don’t even have a rough draft. And you worry that besides letting yourself down, you will also let down your readers.

*sad sigh*

That’s my current predicament.

Sacred Seas should be releasing in the next couple of months, but the truth is it’s a mess in my head and an even bigger mess on the page. It hasn’t “come alive” yet, and it barely has bones, much less a heart and soul. Therefore, it can’t be rushed to publication. That wouldn’t be fair to my readers, the characters, or me. 

My Virtual Arcana series was doing great for a while. I have the first two episodes written and edited and the third one almost finished. BUT (the big but) the story feels...wrong. Something is missing. Or a lot of somethings are missing, and I can’t figure out how to fix it so that I fall in love with the story again. My beta readers don’t seem to be in love with it either, which is a huge red flag that I can’t ignore.

So, this is my lame explanation as to why Sacred Seas will be delayed until this spring.

And why Virtual Arcana is in a holding pattern.

I’m still hoping to release the first episode of Virtual Arcana, The Fool, in the next month or two, but first, the rest of the season needs some work. I need to be in love with the story again, and right now I’m not even infatuated with either of the projects I’m writing. 

To any readers who I’ve let down, I’m so sorry. Sacred Seas will be released eventually, I promise, but not until I’m happy with it. I refuse to end the series with a meh book. My readers and sea peeps deserve much better than that. 

I haven’t given up. I’m not slacking off. I’m just plowing through, begging the characters and story to come alive and help me make them the best they can be. Thanks for understanding.