Well, first off, my computer had a meltdown on Monday. After six years of service, the increasingly-frequent bugs, crashes, overheatings, and general performance issues finally overcame the old girl. Ultimately, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and, rather than pour hundreds more in repairs into it, buy a new one. I'm actually typing this from my brand new (well, refurbished) computer! Thankfully, it wasn't quite as expensive as I was bracing myself for it to be, so the purchase only wiped out HALF my savings, instead of ALL of them. I've pretty much spent the entire week thus far either trying fruitlessly to fix the old computer, researching new computers, shopping, rooting out the unwanted preloaded programs (still can't figure out how to get rid of this damn photos-to-merchandise thing), updating the system, and re-installing the programs I actually use. Unfortunately, that means I've gotten basically no writing done. But, I think it's probably worth it to have a computer that doesn't audibly complain when it has to display any sort of video.
There's another major development that's been slowing my work as of late, one that I didn't want to share until I was sure there was something solid. Now, I think I can be confident in announcing it. I've been talking with a publisher of erotic fantasy and sci-fi, who shall, for the moment, remain nameless. We've discussed a number of things, but I feel confident in letting my faithful readers know that they've asked me to submit a chapter to a short story collection! Now, it's still gotta be selected out of all the other submissions, but this is still a huge deal for me! I might actually get my work professionally published! With a signing bonus and everything! And if that weren't enough, we've also been discussing the possibility of not just one, but a whole series of novels! We still have to work out the specifics of how and when the books will get written, but it's looking VERY good so far!
What would the novels be about, you ask? Excellent question, I reply! The books will be based on the plans for one of my stories! What story, you ask? Stop interrupting me and you'll find out, I say! Only one of my stories has the grand, arching storyline, the intricate and expansive setting, the truly epic scope such a series would call for! The Titles of Angra B'ahram! Each book will center around the story of one of Angra Ba'ahram's many titles, and how the humble incubus Ahram came to earn them. I haven't been able to stop thinking about the story since first I wrote it, and what ideas might have once fit into a single chapter have grown, unbidden, into sprawling, interwoven tales, too large to contain within a single chapter! This way, I'll be able to delve into the setting, to explore the nature of the multiverse, the 667 worlds of the Abyssal Empire, and the characters within in glorious detail!
Anyways, I hope you guys can understand why it's taking me a while to get anything done. I've got a lot on my mind, and a lot on my plate, but I'm still workin'. I like to think this chapter of Happy Birthday will be worth the wait!