Well, here I am, at the moment I’ve been dreading.

I have to delay the release for An Elegy for Hope. Let me tell you why, and when you can expect it (November).

A few months ago, Adrian from Grimdark Magazine contacted me with an opportunity to finish editing The King Must Fall and then take over as staff editor for some books and the magazine and what have you. Now, I knew upon talking to him that if I accepted this position, it would open up just wild professional opportunities for me, and I knew I couldn’t pass that up. I mean, when something like that falls into your lap, you take it. On the other hand, I knew accepting this opportunity would put a bit of a kink in my writer life. I’d spend a whole lot of time trying to shuffle things around so I could catch up with the anthology (no small task, let me assure you) and then do the magazine.

So it was a gamble, and a risk, but I knew professionally it wasn’t one I could overlook (In fact, it’s an opportunity so many editors would sell parts of their soul for. I am so lucky.). I also knew I’d probably have to let my writing sit on the side of the road for a while so I could get myself situated with Grimdark Magazine, and then figure out a balance between that side of my career, and my freelance career.

It’s been like juggling a lot of balls, all of which are in the air, and I’m doing well (a little behind still) but it’s been work, and I haven’t had time to write. At all. I mean, I’ve been working twelve hour days, six or seven days a week just to stay afloat, and by the time I get time to write, my eyes hurt too much the last thing I want to do is look at another word.

Basically, I did this to myself, but it was a professional risk/reward calculation, and I think I made the right move. I am so incredibly satisfied by my professional life right now, and editing for Grimdark Magazine has opened up doorways I never thought possible. I am unbelievably happy and stupid proud of myself, and I’m just in love with every part of my life right now. Yes, it’s a lot of very long hours, lots of days with no break, but I’m so happy. I’m literally living my dream, and I never ever thought I’d be one of the people lucky enough to say that.

The result, however, is that everything I am writing has been delayed, including this book.

Thankfully, I’m at the point where there is a light at the end of the tunnel and I think my editing life and writing life will be a lot more balanced starting in about a month.

The result, however, is that I have had to move my release date for An elegy for Hope. I’m aiming for October or November, not sure which yet. I’ve got Pen working on the cover art. I’ve showed my betas what I have written and they’ve given me feedback. I also have a companion novella planned, as well as the cover art for that already ready to go, I just need to write the thing.

Similarly, The Necessity of Rain is in much the same position. It just got pushed aside because my work life has overwhelmed every other part of my existence. I’ve had the book edited. I’m going to rewrite chunks of it… I just need time. I am hoping to get this one released in the late summer, or if all else fails, maybe I’ll release it later this year around the same time as An Elegy for Hope. I just don’t know.

One thing I’ve decided regarding all of this… My life is so heavily geared toward editing right now, with almost no time for writing, I might not bother doing pre-orders anymore. Not because I think they are pointless, but because I just can’t guess when I’ll have time to do anything, and I hate canceling pre-orders. (Thank god for my virtual assistant whose job it is to make sense of the chaos of my life.) It makes me a lot more comfortable to be able to just drop a finished book on all of you when I have it ready, rather than being beset by deadlines, both self-imposed (with writing) and those I navigate with my editing side.

I will also say, I have been working twelve hour days, six or seven days a week for months now, and I’m tired. April is looking to be a lot more relaxed, which I need. This will give me time to write, time to focus on my stories. Time to get everything on my writing side as caught up as it is now on my editing side.

So, the books will happen, probably just at the end of the year. I’m really sorry for the delay, but it all came down to this professional risk/reward calculation, and I decided the risk and the reward was worth it, and the cost is my writing. For now. Not for long, just for now. I’m still getting caught up. I’m almost there… almost.

I’ll throw down excerpts from all of my WIPs as I get them edited and presentable, so you can see something, at least. In the meantime, please accept my apologies for the delay, and I’ll let you know when you can expect things as soon as I know.

(P.S. I’m sorry. I have about three free minutes today and I used them all writing this. I had no time to edit it so uh… yeah.)