http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N3N1MlvVc4

So, this was the last full week of my son’s summer break.  It was a hot one, so we didn’t do a whole lot outside.  Watched some movies, he went to the pool with the grandparents, and we did water balloon baseball one more time.  Hopefully, he doesn’t get scared of the morning bus this time, but we’ll see what happens.  The kid hates being rushed through breakfast, which causes some issues.  Anyway, that’s next week and this week was all about having fun.  In fact, we’re hoping to have one more family trip tomorrow before the return of homework.

Oh yeah, at 4th grade kids get to pick a musical instrument.  My son chose the violin because it’s the closest thing to a guitar.  We’ll see how it goes.  He isn’t allowed to play it until he gets a lesson, so it’s just sitting on a chair for now.  The loophole is that he can still open the case and look at it.

As far as writing goes, I’ve got War of Nytefall: Lost coming out next Friday and have a list of volunteers.  Can always use more though.  I’m happy about how much people liked the cover and the excerpt that introduced Lost.  She’s a character that I’ve wanted to write for a long time.  Her existence changes the already chaotic dynamic of the Dawn Fang/Old-World Vampire war, which means she’s going to be an important figure for the rest of the series.  Makes the next release even more bittersweet.  It could be my last one for a while, which means War of Nytefall: Rivalry will be delayed until at least March.  On the plus side, it looked like this would happen no matter what because of time management issues.

Speaking of future projects, I’m still trying to decide on if I’m going to write up Ichabod Brooks or not.  As much as I’d love to publish another collection of stories, that isn’t in the cards for a while.  It can be a series that helps me keep the blog going after I finish posting Derailing Bedlam.  The trick will be finding time to write.  Maybe focusing on the novels and slipping Ichabod in at times can lead to him getting his next collection down the road?  I mean, the benefit of a short story collection is that it stands alone and you don’t have to do more.  That means another one can come at any time.  Not sure how I’d pull off the cover too since the stand alone (City of Beasts) and the first collection (Life & Times) look different.  Would a third style matter?

I know this is coming late in the post, but most of my time was spent job hunting.  I sent my resume to an agency and signed up with Flexjobs, which specializes in work-at-home jobs.  Put in at a few grocery stores too.  Just swinging at nearly every pitch that I can think of that won’t put me in a job that only covers gas, lunch, and babysitting.  Always forget how tough a job hunt is too.  Entry-level seems to require 1-5 years experience, a Masters, and the Ark of the Covenant now.  Not totally sure about that third thing, but it wouldn’t surprise me.  I don’t want to complain about it, but I will say that it is a test of both patience and emotional fortitude.  Next week might be easier with my son at school and the book off my plate.

I’m looking forward to a laid back weekend and hope that the stress of everything can be washed away.  Doing a family movie viewing today and a trip tomorrow.  Not sure if we have a plan for Monday.  Still, I’m really going to try to stay positive and keep the stress down while everything goes on.

Goals?

1. Enjoy last few days of my son’s summer break.
2. Get him off to school and back into the schedule.
3. Release War of Nytefall: Lost on Friday.
4. Job hunt and submit to possible positions.
5. Follow up with temp agency.
6. Continue scheduling November posts.
7. If possible, start editing War of Nytefall: Rivalry.