Moving Forward
What lies ahead for Samak Press in 2025?
My writing path I charted for myself last year took unexpected detours and went off the map.
Last January, I outlined several ambitious writing and publishing goals for 2024. I achieved a handful before my day job and a series of illnesses derailed my plans over the final four months of the year.
What does that mean for 2025?
I’m forced to scale back what I originally had planned for the year ahead. Four months of virtually zero progress on my next novel means it will not be published until spring 2026 at the earliest. That will give me time to complete the rough draft and have enough time to edit and market the novel without rushing through it to meet an arbitrary deadline.
I alluded to this novel a year ago. It will be a science fiction tale serving as a bridge story between the Alien People Chronicles trilogy and a planned future trilogy. This story will focus on Kevin Riley, an Earthian ally of Calandra and Xttra from the first three books. Kevin is stranded on the other side of the Land of the Three Suns (aka the planet Colonia) among a pre-industrial humanoid race after he crashes while flying an experimental spaceship. Cut off from his wife and friends, Kevin finds himself battling a local warlord who is determined to expand their rule over the entire planet.
Here’s a few things I hope to accomplish before the calendar turns from 2025 to 2026:
Samak Press
I launched a complete website for my imprint, Samak Press, in July 2024. It is a one-stop shop for all my published stories and includes a portal for writing and editing services geared toward helping fellow indie authors.
I plan to continue growing Samak Press in 2024 with a pair of new anthologies featuring original stories from several talented authors. One anthology, Feral Lands, will have a selection of horror stories. The other anthology, Ripples in Space, will spotlight science fiction stories. Expect to see both anthologies released later in 2025.
My goal is to also launch a speculative fiction magazine affiliated with Samak Press to give indie authors a new venue for publishing stories. I plan to host this future magazine through Substack like I do with my current newsletter. I want it to be a vehicle for discovering and spotlighting talented lesser-known authors. The magazine will be available to read for a low monthly subscription rate. Subscription revenue will go toward paying authors pro rates when their stories are accepted for publication.
My Stories
Although I won’t be releasing a novel in 2025, that doesn’t mean I won’t actively be writing and publishing my own stories. You’ll have plenty of new tales from me to read and enjoy in the year ahead.
I plan to release a collection of science fiction stories. This collection will feature a mix of original never-published stories and some favorites I’ve shared here in past editions of this newsletter. All these tales will be set in the same fictional universe as my Alien People Chronicles series and expand on the lore and characters from those worlds. Stay tuned for further details — including a publication date.
I also plan to release The Ghost Diaries in paperback and eBook formats. Look for that to be rolled out later this spring. The Ghost Diaries proved highly popular as a serial during its two-month run in 2024. I can’t wait to offer the comedy horror novella set in Deer Falls to an even wider audience.
Finally, I will serialize my science fiction novella Hollow Planet and my short horror story In Hell’s Shadow for future editions of this newsletter later in 2025. Stay tuned for additional details.
The Road Ahead
My plans for 2025 are lower key than the ambitious goals I set for 2024, but they are also realistic and achievable. I love storytelling. This is my passion, and I want to pursue this passion well into my old age. Charting this path will help me take steps in the right direction for making this possible.
Thank you for your loyal support as I continue to write and publish stories. It keeps me going forward on challenging days when my spirits need an extra lift. Please keep sharing this newsletter with your friends, family, and neighbors and invite all to subscribe. Please continue to help spread the word about all my published stories so that these stories can find new readers.
Help me make these fictional worlds I’ve spent countless hours creating become a treasured part of the real world.
Looking forward to more great stories from you.
I hope 2025 plays nice to you.