June 2020

2020 has been busy, with it’s share of ups and downs.

In terms of author events, I announced the winners of my first art contest and the results of my second art contest. I also posted my own art piece. And I announced and then had to cancel my book launch.

I posted my own reviews for Black Mists and Dwelling in Darkness, and my thoughts about how I wanted to handle the covid-19 crisis. I also shared some nature designs, and on my personal FaceBook page, I re-shared a blog post about ants from 2019.

In my April update, I said my goal for writing would be to finish Part One of my next book by mid-June. Though that didn’t happen, I have made great progress, and am on schedule to publish sometime next year. Good thing, since I’ve got a lot of fans looking forward to the conclusion to Tales of the Diversity!

In another recent post, I talked about the church library I run and how the pandemic restrictions have affected it. Well, our church just announced that the library is open again! (With the necessary restrictions, of course.) So I will be getting back to work there.

Why all this review? Basically, because I may not be posting much for blogs in the remainder of the year. The arrival of our next baby is ever approaching. And the pandemic restrictions mean I may wait until next year to do book signings.

However, I do still plan on doing a post about the video game I’m helping create. If you want to follow the game’s official blog, you can sign up for updates on the Soltorch website.

Thank you to all who continue to encourage me in my writing and other projects! It’s a blessing to hear how I’ve made a positive impact in your lives.

Looking Back: First Book

Back in 2013, I published my very first book, Kingdom of Bats. A lot can change - and has changed - in seven years. I got married, had kids, and my writing style has evolved.

I decided to revisit that first book: rereading it and seeing whether my perspective on the story has changed over these seven years.

And… I found Kingdom of Bats to be a good book! But for different reasons than I expected.

The themes of good versus evil, and how the past affects the present, were what stood out to me.

A variety of bat species are introduced, along with other animals, creating a colourful and diverse world.

And I found the climax exciting and well-paced… even if it was too early on in the book!

It’s evident that this was my first published work, with my writing and storytelling less polished and developed than future works. It’s interesting to see how far I’ve come since then, and how much better I feel about how I wrote my most recent books, The Quest and The Loss.

Thank you to those of you who’ve shown an interest in the art contest: it sounds like some artists are hard at work on their pieces! Remember, the contest is currently open for submissions, and will close at the end of January.