Lean times in fantasyland

And though that caption could apply to the effect of our current economic doldrums on a certain Magic Kingdom in Orlando, it applies equally to this author's writing progress. A number of factors are responsible, not the least of which are our younger son's refusal to sleep a reasonable number of hours per night and our older one's battle with chicken pox and other forms of schoolhouse fun. Conventional wisdom for aspiring authors is to write for a certain period, however brief, every day. No excuses, no exceptions. Conventional wisdom, however, has never had to raise our kids.

That said, my plans are unchanged. As Andy Dufresne proved in The Shawshank Redemption, it's simply a matter of quietly tapping the hammer against the wall, night after night after night. I imagine some parts of the wall were harder than others, particularly at the beginning. So be it. I have one story ("Devotion") awaiting publication and two others ("Death by Water" and "Love & Winter") on submission, and my stash of ideas is far greater than my available time. I plan to write and to write things good enough to allow me, in time, to become a full-time writer. I have faith that "in time" also means this will happen "at the right time" (which could be at a time when many more people have the time and money for indulging themselves with fantasy literature).

Speaking of fantasy literature, the magnificent site FantasyLiterature.net (for which yours truly is a regular contributor) has republished my interview with Rogue Blades Entertainment. I hope you'll read it HERE.