Another week has passed us by, and I’ve got to tell you that things have never looked better. The rosy-tinted glasses of moderate publishing success are coloring everything I see…and for this natural-born pessimist, that is a very worrying thing.

Lord Pessimisticus

There is an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond in which Ray is singled out as an irredeemable pessimist. He then tries to reform, gets a promotion at work, confronts his family about their constant negativism, and then glories in his new-found optimism. The episode ends with him being sent off to Alaska for weeks to cover the Iditarod dog sled race. He ends up so happy because it turned out horribly wrong and his pessimism was vindicated at last.

That’s precisely what I fear happening. I tell you, you optimists out there have my complete envy. I have no idea what it’s like to always be hopeful, to always expect things to work out for the best. All of 2011 as a publishing year was just proof to my pessimistic side. Ironically, I got a full-time teaching schedule at Cal State Long Beach, which was as great as it was unexpected. Good things happen, I told myself, so chin up on those books.

And then the California budget crisis effectively crippled the CSU system, and I ended up with no courses to teach this semester. Pessimism vindicated.

The concern is that precisely the same thing will happen with the books. I wrote last week that I had crossed the Rubicon of a thousand book sales. A week later, I can report that I’ve already doubled that number. It’s incredible, and I have a spring in my step because of it. Heck, my loaves of bread taste better because of it!

Once again, thank you to every single one of you who bought The Scion of Abacus, Part I and then liked it enough to purchase parts II, III, and IV.

Drakhar Update

I’ve drawn a map and fleshed out a variety of interesting cultures. Things are progressing well on the new project. At this point, I don’t think I’ll quite be ready to start writing at the beginning of April, but I shouldn’t have to delay overlong.

I’m getting that tingly feeling in my gut that comes as I grow in excitement for a new project. That’s a good feeling, I think. It’s a measure of enthusiasm for the story. I think if I ever fail to get that feeling, then I know it’s time to stop.

Ramble

I don’t really have much else to update. I made two posts this week in my Religion in Fantasy series of essays, polytheism and atheism, the latter of which garnered quite a few “likes” here on WordPress, interestingly. Anyhow, I’ve talked about different ways gods manifest in the genre, so the next posts have to do with the religious practices of those who worship those same gods in story.

Lastly, because I like to brag, I have to demonstrate my mad-skillz-yo with this picture:

Man, that tasted good, too!

All right, that’s your lot for the week. Cheers!