Greetings, all!

Once again, I can only offer deep and profuse apologies for the delay on this post. Outside World demands of every kind--some of them actually not that demanding, upon closer inspection, yet seeming so because of their number--have kept me otherwise occupied the past few weeks, as per usual. I'm getting a better handle on them of late, and the new, slower tempo of my writing, and hope to resume weekly posts with this one, or soon after.

I do have good news to bring out of this long period of silence. For those who haven't seen my Wordpress, FB or Twitter feeds the past week, one of my stand-alone Alternate History novel drafts, Red Delta, FINALLY crossed the finish line on the first of this month! Copies are currently going out to interested beta-readers; if any of you want a first look and have a touch of the editor in you, say the word and I'll send one your way! The plan right now is to reach the final draft stage by Halloween, or just before, and have the ebook version--cover and all--ready before Christmas, maybe even Thanksgiving. It's been a long, on-and-off journey with this draft, and there's plenty that still needs to be done--but it's finally on its way to digital shelves! Nor may it be the only one; I've been tinkering with an earlier dystopian short story--one with appropriately Halloween-esque themes :) --which may soon be working its way through the Kindle process alongside Red Delta, or be released for free on my Wordpress blog! As ever, I'll keep you posted on here and my other sites!

Lastly, to make updating a little more interesting now that official (non-spoiler) Discarded material has tapered off--and to give you all a little bit of insight into my writing habits and foibles :) --I've decided to start sharing some of the music I regularly listen to during the course of a project. The choices are quite literally all over the genre map--classic rock, Celtic, alternative and pop, oldies, soundtracks, Classical, and too many others to count--but they've all gradually come together into playlists, and have become an essential part of the process for me. Whether I need something thematically linked to the draft at hand, or just a good rhythm to work to, they haven't let me down yet; hopefully they can provide some of the same boost to you in whatever your passion is!

First one up is Dream On, by Aerosmith; YT link is attached (Usual copyrights apply; I own nothing!). This is also the first song on my Random Mix playlist, which has come to be the first playlist I play through for every writing project, new or restarted; over 130 songs as of right now! I'm something of a selective fan when it comes to music--I usually prefer a handful of a singer's or group's singles to buying whole albums--yet this one worked its way to the top of the roster. It always gets me revved up for the current project, and tells me not to quit, even when it feels like the story's slipping away. That so long as I keep at writing in some way, even if I don't finish when planned, or for an even longer time after, I will still see that work, or another entirely, in print one day. Enjoy this one as you like, and share and comment, too!