Creative Things Archives

Updates – Backstage Pass/All Access

No, I ‘ve not forgotten about them.

Updates!

The big part of why they’ve not been seeing updates is that we’ve had some major construction going on, and because of the sheer level of bass and other sound, I’ve not been able to get anything done that does not sound like utter crap. Yes, I have sound dampening around my studio. Unfortunately, even my phones pick up on the noise around us, and that means I’ve put it on a very very temporary hiatus.

Thankfully, that looks to be ending soon, for which I am incredibly happy. I did know we were going to have construction around us, but I didn’t consider that it would affect my ability to do creative endeavours. Totally had an effect on it that I didn’t count on.

So those are the updates there. They’re both going to be returning/starting very soon, and when I get things ready to roll, I’ll update both here and on my social media with when you can expect it to see them.

Things I’ve Not Written On The Page…

It’s been a long time since I sat down and actually written something for the blog on the site.

Since my dog passed away, I have been doing a lot of soul searching, and trying to decide where I should be going next, what I should be doing.

My heart was shattered by the loss of that small, fuzzy, loving dog. More than I care to admit most days. With that happening and the fact that my father is still being treated for cancer, well, my heart is still hurting and it’s hard to focus some days.

Introspection can be a double edged sword, and I am definitely working on getting out of my own head and back into what really matters to me.

To answer the biggest question – will we see the follow up to A Desert Song?

Yes. I will finish the trilogy, but I am also going to be working on other things that I enjoy. You see, not to tell tales, but there was a point in life where I really enjoyed a lot of different creative endeavours, and after spending about two years being torn down by someone, I couldn’t really do much. I am thankful that I finished the bare bones of the book before this person came into my life, otherwise I’d still be trying to get it done.

I had a few years of one bad experience after another with people who had the same personality types, and issues, and I am finally making more progress. My mental health professionals are very pleased with my progress, and we’re making progress in other, non-related, areas.

I will be bringing my Vlog to the site soon. I encountered delays because of health issues – headaches from the bowels of hell are not really something that allows you to stare at a screen or have the bright studio lights on you.

But it was definitely time to let you all know that I’m back, and working. You’ll see the other things that I mention soon.

Updates to Plans…

Yes, I know it’s been a while. Life has definitely kept me busy. So I wanted to sit down and give you all some updates to my ongoing plans.

Backstage Pass is still happening, but we’ve changed some things about it. It’s going to be a podcast and a vlog soon. I am also in the middle of preparing to move everything into a studio. The fun never stops here!

I am also working on both logos (for other people) and drafting my books. This has had some bad side effects (as in my hands get all messed up) – but I am working on getting that better.

I am happy that spring is here, but I am trying to patiently wait until I can get vaccinated. It’s not easy. At this point I haven’t seen my family in about two years total, and I am getting increasingly cranky about the roll out here. It’s a long rant, and I’ll not subject you to it.

So that’s a basic overview of the “updates to plans” that are in the works. I believe in showing the result, but as the path from point a to point b is a bit long, an update was needed.

Take care of yourselves!

Podcast Plans

I’ve been thinking about doing a podcast for years. I had started making plans back in 2011 to do so, and due to my life deciding to take a much different path, I had to abandon them.

Now, a decade later (give or take a few months), I’m back to where I was considering it.

So I asked if there was any of my followers on social media who may be interested in it. Turns out, yes there is. I’m also pretty sure I know who the nay-sayers were and well, it comes down to tough luck to them. They’ll probably hate listen anyway, which pays off for me in the end.

I’m preparing to get my podcast on the “air” soon. While I could just hook up my phone to my headset, I would much rather prepare and provide a polished end product.

When I get things finished, I’ll be posting here and on my social media about where you can find the podcast and subscribe to it. I haven’t decided on what platform I’ll be making it available, but the majority of them send it out to the big players like Spotify in the end, so I don’t anticipate any issues in getting it to you.

I’ll be talking about the things I do here to start, but I am open to other topics and guests! So, expect a lot of talk about writing, music, and mental health.

So stay tuned to this space for more details soonish! I’m also hoping to get back into a regular posting schedule here and a few other places. Keep your fingers crossed that things work out this time. This year has been very stressful for everyone and I am definitely not immune to that. It has taken its toll on me and my writing – and I’m hoping to get back to a routine very soon!

Novel Research

Right now, I am working on the first book of the second planned trilogy. I had been working on the second book of the first trilogy, but some parts to it are hard to write because they’re being pulled, in part, from my own experience. So, not a lot of novel research there.

The first book of the second trilogy is a bit more fun. Yeah, there are the conflicts that always are there, that need to be there. But it is more of an introduction to the band and Jonathan himself.

So, how do I research this? A lot of reading. I’ve been reading books like I am Ozzy and many more rock biographies. These give me a bit more of a footing on what was going on during the periods that Torrent would have been forming and the music landscape. I also have friends who were around during this period and drawing on their experiences helps.

The internet also helps, because a lot of the era has been talked about online, and finding pages of information is a lot easier than it would have been if I had started to write these books before I left high school

My bookmarks are all over the place (seriously, if I die, don’t just erase my browser history, get rid of my bookmarks too!) because in my big ol’ head I’ve got the whole series planned out. I know the end game about Rebecca and Jon. There is one other person who does, and if he reveals the end, he knows I’ll divorce him (Love you hon).

I’m also writing stories/novels in other genres. I have a high fantasy story that simmers on the back burner while I write these. Not to mention a pile of ideas that I’ve not had the chance or energy to work on over the last ten years. So my bookmarks have a lot of that research and reminders there.

Using Scrivener makes consolidating all the information a lot easier as well. Even if I can, and have, lost half a novel in my notes there!