[LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] - NOTE: these links point to Substack. Greetings from the Xen’in Universe. March was another slow month, only slightly better than February, with 14,780 words written. That number was spread across nine chapters of my space opera serial, one short story, and a third of another. And still no work on that Dragon Dice novel! On the plus side, I now have enough of a buffer (on the serial front anyway) that I can focus on the novel. In theory, I should be able to...
about 2 months ago • 1 min read
[LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] NOTE: these links point to Substack. The world was old, the world was dark, the world was dying. And as the wind roared, and the rivers ran red with the blood of the fallen, I walked through the fog toward the dark citadel. A chilling breeze hit my face as I approached. I clenched my fists and walked on. There was no turning back for me now. My fate was sealed, as was that of my brethren. As I approached, the large black gates slowly swung open in eerie silence....
about 2 months ago • 26 min read
[LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] - NOTE: these links point to Substack. Greetings from the Xen’in Universe. I’m sad to report that I made zero progress on my novel in February. In fact, I wrote even less than in January (13,162 words only). I did however write a short story, three flash pieces, and three more chapters of my serial. Not much, but better than nothing I guess. I really need to pick up speed and hopefully I can do that in March. Coming up this month So here’s a project I’m pretty...
3 months ago • 1 min read
[LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] NOTE: these links point to Substack. Rain does little to conceal the horrors of men. It may wash the blood, but it cannot take the bones or the rotting flesh of the dead. This is not the first battlefield I see—nor shall it be the last—but each one pains me more than the previous. I find joy in this. For what once would have meant nothing to me, now shakes me to my soul. I pause at the thought. A soul. Perhaps that is what I lacked to be human. Do these new...
3 months ago • 24 min read
[LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] - NOTE: these links point to Substack! Greetings from the Xen’in Universe. I posted this on Substack at the beginning of the month, so I'm running several weeks late on Kit, sorry about that! That's why you got January's story last week, and you'll get this month's next week and the February recap the following Wednesday. After that, we should be back on track. So, I mentioned last time that I’d sold a poem to a new magazine called The Hillsather Press. After a...
4 months ago • 1 min read
[LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] NOTE: these links point to Substack! 4 November 974 The wood creaks always, like souls scratching at the fabric of their prisons. Sometimes I hear them calling my name, wailing, and I recoil into my brother’s arms. His presence soothes me. But I only hear it—the wood—when my mind is a void... Not today. Today, I watched through the window, from the study, under the reproachful gaze of my mother, as the first snows draped the fields. Gone are the bluebells and the...
4 months ago • 18 min read
[LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] - NOTE: these links point to Substack! Greetings from the Xen’in Universe—and a Happy New Year to all! I hope the festivities weren’t too rough. They weren’t exactly easy over here, as my father sadly passed away on December 22nd. He was 91, mind you, and had Alzheimer’s, so it’s not like it came as a big surprise, but the timing was terrible (the funeral was on the 30th and there were only like 6 people attending) and it’s sad to think that this man, who was in...
5 months ago • 3 min read
[LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] NOTE: these links point to Substack! They crawled away from the light, deeper into the narrow vent. Laughter rang from below, while the scent of cinnamon cakes teased their nostrils. The two orphans had done this before. They were nimble and quiet, and quite good at going unnoticed—all qualities that made them skilled at their chosen profession. Kelle held the pendant tightly in her fist, using her knees and shoulders to push herself forward. She could see the...
6 months ago • 23 min read
[LIKE] - [COMMENT] - [SHARE] NOTE: these links point to Substack! Greetings from the Xen’in Universe! Can’t believe it’s December again already. Where does time go when we’re not looking? Wait. There’s a story there, isn’t there? I can feel it. *takes mental note* Anyway… November was a much better month word-wise than the previous, though not quite as good as September. I ended up writing 56,124 words. That included two short stories (both of which I published right here on Substack), half...
6 months ago • 5 min read