An End to a Wild Year!
This… is possibly the weirdest blog I have written. It’s strange sitting here on the last night of the year. Looking back, a lot of stuff happened this year even though it doesn’t feel like it. I took my art to a new level, accidentally went viral for a bit on reddit, started up multiple new hobbies including painting, and both started a new book as well as published it! While it was a lot, ALL of it was foundational! This year was just a small hop on the path I’m hoping to take, so here’s to what’s coming in the new year! Let it begin!
Harmonizer
In case someone somehow missed it, Harmonizer is finally out! It was a long road to get to this point, but is weirdly satisfying and nerve-wracking to finally have something published out there for real! There was a LOT of learning that needed to be done for this, and, at the end of the day, that was the whole point. The goal was to figure out stuff and start experimenting instead of trying to get everything perfectly figured out beforehand. Will Harmonizer sell well? Let’s be honest, probably not. My expectation is that it may not even breach one hundred copies before the month is over, or even a dozen.
BUT! This is a chance to begin the process of figuring out how to market myself and finally begin putting myself out there! My plan is to start working to figure out how to get some reach and spread Harmonizer out as far as I can, as terrifying as it is. This will involve using reddit, Bluesky, and probably even Youtube before this is all said and done. I’m going to start working on plans this weekend, but, in the meantime…
Harmonizer 2! Yes, Harmonizer is absolutely getting a sequel. Did you really think I planned to let it go? At the end of Harmonizer, Vianna’s journey is seemingly at an end, but there is still the lingering issue of the planet’s infection as well as what happened to make her abandon Harmony. What was it that she saw in the tower that spooked her? What is the Steel Legion planning for the Guardian’s? Just what will Vianna’s role be in the coming conflict? All of that and more will be explored in the book with an experimental title of Harmonizer: The Lonely Fortress!
The Sapphire Verdict
So, Harmonizer is published and is seemingly my soul focus now, right? Wrong! The Sapphire Verdict is still alive and very much kicking. AT the moment, I am nearly done with my rewrite of the second book, and then I begin my reanalysis of the first to determine if we send it or rewrite it. Part of why I wanted to push Harmonizer is because I was fine with making mistakes on it. I didn’t need Harmonizer to be perfect, so the lessons I’m learning from it will be applied, in full, to The Sapphire Verdict!
A release window for the Sapphire Verdict is also tentatively locked in. Now, granted, it could shift as I learn more and discover the more professional aspects of this profession, like hiring people to do editing or cover art, but, as of right now, my aim is for the Sapphire Verdict to land halfway through the year and then for it’s sequel to cap the year off in the same way that Harmonizer has. More information will be provided as we draw closer.
Future Plans
In the short term, the goal is to push Harmonizer as far as possible, and that means enhancing my skills! I have to learn marketing and how to hire people for things, so off I go on a new, nerve-wracking adventure I’m not mentally prepared for and never will be. My goal right now is to focus on social media outreach and experiment with Youtube stuff. Expect a new channel to manifest and then for shorts to start landing.
Additionally, I will be posting more on Bluesky for writing prompts and stuff now that I actually have material to show off… or at least material I’m comfortable showing off. This might also manifest on reddit in some way, but we’ll see.
Art
Once I learn how to hire cover artists, I will be ditching my work on covers. I do genuinely think that I did okay with Harmonizer’s cover, but I want a professional to tackle it so I can spend time doing fun things. I want to make some line art comics, meme stuff from my book, and flesh out some concept art stuff. I want to get more art to put on this website and make time to revamp large parts of the website as a whole, so hopefully that will be coming down the pipe at some point here soon.
Merch
Yes, merch is something that’s on the table now. I don’t want to pull the trigger on anything until Harmonizer has an acceptable following, but I will be working on meme stuff that could become merch. Actually, as of right now, there is a prototype in the works for some funny stuff that could be stickers, or at least be useful for Youtube stuff. Stay tuned for that!
Worth adding here, but Patreon is also on the table now. Same thing applies though. Not happening until I feel like there’s a point.
Conclusion
It has been a wild ride this year, but I get the impression that the true chaotic ride is just beginning. I have no idea what’s in store with this new year, especially with an apartment move looking HIGHLY likely, me trying to get into more in-person stuff, and all the rest of the craziness with my books! While I am terrified of what this year might bring, and even more terrified of the things I’m going to have to do, I am going to do my best to meet it head on! So, what’s my New Year’s resolution? Get at least one good night of sleep! Hooray for a failed resolution before the year even begins!
The Flying Fennec