Divine Intermission: A Comedy

2012. Supposedly, this is the year our world ends.

I'm not normally one to fall victim to fads - even though I wore my fair share of cutoff jean shorts when I was a kid and I sported a totally rad mullet between the ages of 10 and 14. Those weren't fads, though. I was just awesome.

My point is this: I don't want to jump on the apocalypse bandwagon. I simply want to pose a question for you.

What would happen if the creator of the universe simply walked away from their godly duties to take an epic smoke break?

In "Divine Intermission," the first novella in a series to be published throughout 2012, the multiverse is crumbling apart because the gods aren't doing their jobs. A depressed writer and electronics salesman named Carl has been trapped in an endless series of doomed realities in which he relives different versions of the same basic life, all the while sensing that something is amiss on a cosmic level. Carl soon finds himself in the presence of immortal beings and is sent on a quest that might bring him face to face with his own magnificent Creator.

Then again, he may just get killed.

2012. The Year of the Dragon. The end of the world. The year after 2011 and before 2013.

This is the year of "Divine Intermission."

Available as an ebook on January 10.

The Year, New & Old

There are only a few more days left before year's end and it would be a mistake to leave my blog untouched before 2011 slips quietly into the dark on New Year's Eve.

As an indie author, I think it's important to step back and look at what has been accomplished. Sometimes the fear of failure and that nagging haze of uncertainty can keep an indie creator from moving forward. By looking at what you've done and planning what you'll do, you set yourself up for greater success.

So, here is a brief list of things I accomplished as a writer in 2011. And after that, I'll share some of my plans for 2012. I'd love to hear about your own successes and plans for the next year.

In 2011...

- I published an ebook of short stories.

- Then I published a print version of that same book.

- I published an e-short story about demons and bowling.

- I published the first part of an ongoing science fiction serial.

- I published my first novel in ebook format. It was much longer than any of my previous works.

- I was interviewed by gracious and friendly bloggers.

- I wrote a guest blog.

- I tried to raise money for Relay For Life through downloads of my works.

- I met several awesome writers, bloggers, readers, and a particularly talented graphic designer.

- My novel was featured in a giveaway contest featured on another author's website.

- My novel received fantastic reviews on Amazon.

- One of my short stories was published in an online literary magazine.

- I released a soundtrack of original music inspired by my novel.

I'm pretty stoked when I look at this list. In January of 2011, I was only focused on finishing the novel. I had no idea that by the end of the year, I'd have accomplished all of this other fun stuff. Everything turned around for me when I decided indie publishing was the way to go. It was at that point that I started developing a plan for myself. Success followed. I was free to create and publish on my terms; this freedom allowed me to build momentum.

But the momentum only pays off if I have a plan.


In 2012...

- I will finish and publish a humorous fantasy that's been resting in my hard drive for the past year.

- My serial scifi project will be published every two months.

- I will blog on a regular basis. And I will conduct at least one blog tour - that is, once I figure out exactly how to conduct a blog tour.Tips are appreciated.

- Book two of the Godblood Saga will be published by September of 2012.

- My horror novella will be published by October 30.

- I will start working on a second series featuring science fiction and adventure for young readers.

- I will write. And when I don't feel like writing, I will write even more.

This list is half the size of the other. I anticipate some changes as the year comes and goes, but at least I'm going in with a plan. I had no plan in 2011 and look at the accomplishments. I can only imagine what will happen when I go into 2012 with a solid agenda.

Feel free to share your plans for 2012 in the comments below. You may inspire me to adjust my own list!