The Story So Far… April 2023

I am giving up on traditional publishing for now. The process had been draining. The dream is still there, but I am not convinced that it is something I need to pursue. I don’t like the process and I want to retain control of my work. Self-publishing offers that opportunity. I am willing to invest in some current manuscripts and risk that they will be absolute failures. I have confidence that they will be successful and I will keep writing and growing regardless.

Grobug Books Project 2023

The Grobug series is inspired by the Tokusatsu shows I have been actively enjoying for more than a decade. Tokusatsu is Japanese for “special effects” and it can be expressed in many forms. Some “toku” features giant monsters, machines piloted by people to oppose them, transforming heroes and benevolent beings from outer space who fight to defend earth. You may have enjoyed toku and not even known it. A prime example of tokusatsu and the inspiration for the first entry in the Grobug series is Godzilla.

The Grobug series is now planned to be 5 core books. Each book will stand on its own, but there will be connections for readers who enjoy more than one book. The series of 5 books will be have the same direction and ethos and any additional stories will take a different direction.

Grobug 1 is drafted. As of 3-15-2023 I updated some things for series unity. Awaiting edits.

Grobug 2 is drafted. As of 3-15-2023 I updated some things for series unity. Awaiting edits.

Grobug 3 is drafted. As of 3-16-2023 I updated some things for series unity. Awaiting edits.

Grobug 4 is drafted. As of 3-24-2023 I updated some things for series unity. Awaiting edits.

Grobug 5 was drafted by 3/10/2023. As of 3-24-2023 I updated some things for series unity. Awaiting edits.

I had dreamed of having an illustrated book April 2022. That didn’t work.

I have a wild plan to upcycle these 5 Grobug books into a prose chapter book that will be about 12 chapters long. It will go into the lore of Grobugs and really focus on them as characters. I’m honestly really excited about it. This Grobug Tales book is going well. I have developed 2 lead characters for it as well as a bunch of lore and world building.

As of 4-07-2023 I have the first 2 chapters done.

As of 4-24-2022 I have chapter 3 done. Chapter 4 is started. Chapter 4 begins the folding in and or retelling of the 5 Grobug books. It’s been a while. I spent one week not working on GT at all, then about another week reworking the naming convention for the characters. After that, I finished chapter 3 and added some neat bits of lore and started chapter 4. I had to find a way to transition from the story of this young troop of Growbugs to the stories of these older, more experienced Growbug Guardians. I think I have that solved. Now it’s a matter of building up to and coming out of those stories in a natural way.

I plan to write that expanded Grobug book and put it up for sale, then launch a crowd funding campaign to pay for artwork for the 5 picture books. The chapter book will be tailored for older kids and tie into bigger stories, but it won’t have all the artwork, They will be unique products worth owning independently or as a set.

Grobug Series Production Steps From August 2022

-Contact artists and discuss project

-Purchase ISBNs

-Select POD Printer

-Get software for formatting book

MTM Breastfeeding Book Production Plan 2023

The week of February 12, 2023 I completed my thumbnail sketches and gave them to the artist.

As of February 24, 2023 the artist has done pencils for a 3 or 4 pages and done an extra test piece with watercolors. It looks lovely.

I will follow up with her, and get a projected completion date for art.

Then I will scan and format images for ebook and print book.

Stick around for my analysis, art and writings as I work on these bigger projects.

Art and Analysis should return to a regular schedule April 2023.

STORY OVER EVERYTHING

I did a soft relaunch of Story Over Everything my podcast which chronicles my progress as an author. Check it out below!