2022 – The Year Ahead

Hi Everyone,

Happy New Year! Hope you are well and safe, wherever you are. 2021 was a tough year for many of us, and we all hope things will turn around this year.

How was my 2021? Well, to be honest, my health problems escalated dramatically. The less said about that, the better. However, I managed to write a little every day and kept track of it on a spreadsheet. In total I produced 389,705 words over the course of the year, which is my best writing year yet.

Just a quick update on what I’m up to in 2022… There’s a lot of exciting stuff coming! I recently finished up at my day job, and that has given me a lot more time to focus on my writing and editing business. My ultimate goal this year is to get to the point where I’m making enough to support my family through my writing. It’s achievable, but there is a lot to do!

Newsletter

I will freely admit that I have neglected my newsletter in favour of social media. However, in 2022 I would like to change that. Last year a certain social media company briefly decided to break the timeline for my entire country while they were feuding with my government. Overnight I discovered the majority of my readers couldn’t access my page. The problem only lasted a few days, but it opened my eyes to the fact I can’t rely on social media as a platform to connect with my readers. I’m going to remedy this by building my mailing list and updating the newsletter more frequently. Soon the newsletter will be my primary means of keeping in touch with my readers and letting them know about new releases. Keep your eyes peeled – in the very near future I’m going to start offering a library of free content to people who sign up!

ASHES OF OLYMPUS Trilogy

I’m really proud of the trilogy, and thrilled that Book 3, The Seven Hills is now out in the world. I expect sales on the Ashes of Olympus books will only increase – a complete series is a lot easier to market than one in progress. Marketing the complete series will be a project throughout the year.

Even more exciting, the books will be released in audio this year, narrated by British actor Pieter Lawman! Recording is complete on the first book, and I’ll keep you posted as to the release date. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Pieter brings a Shakespearean gravitas to the story. It’s startling how many voices he creates, and how much depth he gives the story. Pieter absolutely nails the classical names and words throughout the story. He’s the ideal narrator, and I couldn’t be happier.

New series: REBEL DRUIDS

I’m currently hard at work writing a middle grade series, Rebel Druids! This one will be four short books. The first is finished, and I’m about one third through the second. At the moment, the plan is to release the first book late this year, and release one new instalment each quarter. I’ll reveal more in the coming months – can’t wait to share!

Editing work

In 2021 I had the privilege of doing paid editing work for a number of clients, and they all seem more than happy with my work! It is incredibly satisfying to help authors bring out the best in their work. Thus far I have mostly been relying on word of mouth, but will start marketing more over the next twelve months. I’m looking forward to working with new clients!

Super secretive stuff

At any given time, I have a lot of irons in a lot of fires… If any of the stuff I’m pitching pays off, I’ll be a very happy man. That’s all I can really say, for the time being. Apologies for vagueness.

And that’s it! It’s going to be a very busy year, but I’m looking forward to it.

Until next time,

Julian

2018: The Road Ahead

Salvete, readers!

Happy new year!

I’m a bit on the fence about new year’s resolutions. They never seem to work out, because they tend to be unrealistic. At the same time I’m also a big believer in having a clear sense of the path I’m on, so I do make concrete plans for the year ahead.

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In terms of my writing career, my ultimate goal is of course to reach the point where I can write full-time. But it takes a lot of work to get there, and that’s what this year is all about. So here is my list of writing and research priorities for the new year!

On the research front, I’m teaming up with classical archaeologist Dr Amelia Brown to co-write a really exciting academic book! Our project will feature the first translations of the early sources associated with St. Nicholas of Myra, along with a commentary. Yes, that St. Nick! For me, this all started when I went to do some research for an historical novel about St Nicholas, and then I was shocked to discover that most of the sources for his life hadn’t been translated from Greek. This is the first time research for my historical fiction has led me to produce original academic research. I’m looking forward to sharing what we discover.

In the world of commercial fiction, the Ashes of Olympus trilogy kicks off mid-2018 with the first instalment, The Way Home. I am gearing up to work with my editor and market the book. I’ve already contacted a few bookstores in my local area, and they seem interested in stocking it. Yay, Dymocks! Yay, indie bookstores! You guys are the best. I’ve also devised a pretty thorough plan to promote the book online and have set aside a budget for advertising and a book launch. Oh, the book launch! I’m looking forward to organising that, it’ll be so much fun. You’re all invited, of course! The more the merrier! And though I will be attending a few cons and such to promote it face-to-face, the bulk of the promo will take place online. Makes sense, as I’m working with a digital-first publisher. The strength of the story is probably the biggest factor in attracting readers, or so I’d like to think. People fall in love with your characters and your world. That’s why one of the keys to promoting the book online is a prequel short story, which I intend to release for free to all the major online retailers via Draft2Digital. Keep your eyes peeled!

I’m also going to start seeking a publisher for The Black Unicorn, my middle-grade fantasy in which Celtic myth meets steampunk. I had initially intended to publish it independently, but I’m taking the advice of a few people in the industry and seeking a traditional publisher before I go down that path. Finding readers is an uphill battle to begin with for an indie author, and just about impossible for children’s books. The market for children’s ebooks just doesn’t seem to exist. I’m really excited to start the next leg of my publication journey. And I have a feeling won’t be quite as tough to get published this time, because I have a foot in the door. I’m just about finished the first draft, which I have been serialising via Wattpad. The serial has been on hiatus over the Christmas period, but I look forward to continuing the updates next weekend. I’ve written loads which I haven’t yet shared. Once the serialisation is complete, I’ll probably leave it up for a month or so before taking it down and giving it a good polish.

But mostly, I am really looking forward to getting a copy printed and bound and giving it to my son for his birthday. Without him, the story wouldn’t exist. Even if it doesn’t get published, it will all be worthwhile to see the look on his face when he unwraps it.

After that, it’s time to get cracking on the next Ashes of Olympus, whose working title is The Ivory Gate. Guess what? I have about 60,000 words down on it already, so that will largely be a matter of refining what I’ve already got. I’ve got my work cut out for me. I’m looking forward to making my story the best it can be. After June, that’s probably where the bulk of the writerly work will go.

There are also a couple of projects which have been in the works for a long time, but which I haven’t discussed much online. Probably the most exciting for me is The Ravenglass Adventures, an audio drama series I’m co-writing with my friend Chris Spensley. It’s a pulpy sci-fi serial about a teenage space archaeologist named Philia Ravenglass. After some very helpful and encouraging notes from an experienced screenwriter, we’re doing a few tweaks to the pilot script. After that, we plan to record later in the year and release it for free as a podcast. We have assembled an amazing cast, and I can’t wait to share the story with you. Post-production will be a lengthy process, and we’re doing this in our spare time, so I cannot say yet when the show will be released, but you’ll be the first to know when it becomes available.

That’s about it, as far as the major projects go. At least, that’s as much as I can share for now. I do have a couple of little surprises up my sleeve… Short stories and interactive fiction and the like. Whew! It’s going to be a great year. It does seem like a lot, but much of it is bringing work to completion which has been in the pipeline for a while. Stay tuned.

Until next time,

Valete