Hello, friends!
The 2023-2024 school year has officially ended! What a ride it was, too. G has one more day of school and her first year back in public school since 2020 is done. So is her elementary school experience. Next year she starts middle school and she is very excited. Next year, I start in a new position in a new program that’s being created, so that’s exciting (and nerve-racking). But that’s the future. As Master Qui-Gon Jinn has to remind us, “Be mindful of the present,” and so that’s what I’m going to do.
So, let’s talk about what’s going on!
Welcome to the 74th installment of Gauthic Times, the newsletter about my writing, my life, and using why too much technology is bad.
Becoming a paid Patron on my Patreon would help me continue writing and write even more. On Patreon, I write about things in more detail than I do in the newsletter or on my website and include the actual names of my works-in-progress and not just codenames. The lowest tier for Patreon is $1 but at $5/month, we’re looking at some serious help.
I mean, if every subscriber or reader of this newsletter, or every social media follower I have became a Patron at even just the $1 tier, I could write more and pay my bills better. The same would happen if they bought copies of my books.
You can also buy me a coffee through Ko-Fi.
Echoes on the Pond is out now! Grab a copy, if you haven’t already. If you have bought it already, books make great gifts! And if you’ve read Echoes on the Pond, I’d also really love (and appreciate) it if you’d leave a nice review on Amazon or Goodreads.
You can also get my collection Catalysts or my novellas Alice on the Shelf and Shadowed.
Anyway, let’s do this!
***
Project: Monster continues being edited. I missed another couple of days because G had her 5th grade graduation and her first basketball game of the summer but I worked on it for the rest of the week. I worked on at least two really important scenes this week that, if I’ve done my job right, won’t seem like important scenes to the reader but actually are.
Sometimes important scenes present themselves quite clearly. A climax, for instance, is important and when the reader gets there they know it’s important. They are the buttons or zippers of a piece of clothing, as much a part of the design as the fabric used. But other times the importance of a scene is so woven into the fabric of the story that it should act like a good seam, unnoticeable but holds things together.
***
Over on Patreon, I showed some art I’m working on! Become a Patron to find out more.
***
My writing plans for this coming week:
- Call/email local bookstores to see if I can set up events.
- Begin shopping around Project: MG Space Adventure to agents (again).
- Begin market research for some short stories I have sitting around.
- Work on one of the short stories I have sitting around.
- Work on the outline for Project: Graphic Novel.
- Continue editing Project: Monster.
That’s a lot of things but I intend on doing some juggling with them. The calling will probably be Monday while G is in school. Shopping Project: MG Space Adventure around to agents will mean some research and getting things in order. Since I’ve already done this a bit, the query needs a small tweak and I’ll probably be able to send at least two queries out this week. The short story market research has been ongoing and I think this week will be me seeing what I have that may be good for some markets already on my radar. The outline for the graphic novel and editing Project: Monster are both ongoing and can be done in bursts. The one thing I may not do straight out is work on a short story, but even that I may be able to if I deal with my time well. What I don’t do I can do in the coming week.
There’ll also be around-the-house stuff, husband stuff, and dad stuff. It’s overwhelming to see but I know how to spread things out, so there’s that.
***
I’ve said all that I care to today. Thank you for your reading and don’t hesitate to chime in with thoughts or ideas.
Thank you for reading!
If you’d like to see what I could do if I wrote full-time, share this newsletter with others and consider a paid subscription.
You can also tip/donate on Ko-Fi.
Of course, you could also become a Patron on my Patreon, which has a lot more information about my works-in-progress and the books I’ll be querying, including titles and some simple, non-spoiler details.
Get my collection Catalysts, my novellas Alice on the Shelf and Shadowed, and definitely order Echoes on the Pond, out now!
If you haven’t left a review on Amazon, Goodreads, or anyplace else for Echoes on the Pond, please consider doing so. This greatly helps sell copies.
And maybe call your local brick-and-mortar bookstore and demand they carry it! I’ll even sign copies! Well, if they’re local to me. That means Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and maybe some of the other New England states.
Thank you for reading!
Gautham: Bill Gauthier.com 
Leave a comment