New Horizons
Looking ahead to the future in 2024
Each new year offers the promise of a new beginning and a fresh start. This is a designated season for turning over a new leaf and writing a better chapter in your life story than the one preceding it.
Our modern society places endless emphasis on making new year’s resolutions focused on self-improvement. How many people sign up for gym memberships at the start of January, determined to lose weight and improve their fitness? How many will stick with it longer than a few days or a few weeks? New year’s resolutions are fleeting and temporary like a politician’s honesty or intelligence.
I reject the resolution fad and instead embrace the first days of a new year as a chance to frame how I will approach the year ahead. For me, this starts with creating detailed writing plans and ends with putting those plans in action.
My 2024 plans
I mapped out several ambitious writing goals a year ago. My 2023 goals included publishing a sequel to Pandora Reborn, two science fiction novellas, and launching a Samak Press website with an associated speculative fiction magazine. Unexpected health challenges (a two-month bout with ulnar tendonitis from mid-May to late July and my 85-year-old father breaking his back in late July) delayed me from achieving many goals I set for myself.
Maybe I’m tempting fate by setting ambitious goals anew for 2024. Then again, I refuse to be limited by a fear of things that could go wrong. You create your own luck through persistence.
Samak Press
I plan to launch an official Samak Press website in 2024. It will be a one-stop shop for all my published stories. This will include future short story collections and poetry collections exclusively available at the Samak Press store alone. I also plan to offer some cool swag (bookmarks, t-shirts, hats, etc.) emblazoned with the official Samak Press logo or cover art from past and future novels.
Samak Press will include a portal for writing and editing services geared toward indie authors. This will include line editing, developmental editing, proofreading, and blurb writing at affordable, professional rates. I bring two decades of experience as a professional journalist to the table along with a natural talent for storytelling.
I also plan to launch a speculative fiction magazine associated with Samak Press to give authors a new venue for publishing stories. It will be available to read at a low monthly rate. Subscription revenue will go toward paying authors professional rates when their stories are accepted for publication. My plan is to host this future magazine through Substack like I do with my current newsletter. I want the magazine to be a vehicle for discovering and spotlighting talented lesser-known authors.
Deer Falls Universe
Readers of this newsletter and elsewhere had a chance to pay a second visit to Deer Falls in 2023. I first introduced the fictional small Colorado town in my 2018 horror novel Pandora Reborn and revisited it last summer in my horror novella Snow Dragon.
Deer Falls will be staying on the map in 2024.
A direct sequel to Pandora Reborn will be published in May 2024. This story unfolds six years following the events chronicled in the first novel. Eric Olson, Ron’s younger brother, is forced to battle a new assistant principal who is attempting to acquire god-like powers from a strange amulet through a series of ritualistic slayings.
A second parallel sequel will focus on Ron and Christina and their battle against a group of energy healers turned dark witches set on conquering and ruling both the physical world and the spiritual realm. That second story is targeted for publication in autumn 2025.
Alien People Universe
Further exploring the worlds and characters I introduced in my Alien People Chronicles trilogy will be a top priority in 2024. I’ve barely scratched the surface with the stories I want to tell in that universe.
My next science fiction novel will act as a bridge story connecting the Alien People Chronicles with a second planned trilogy in the works. 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 soon finds himself battling a local warlord determined to expand their rule over the entire planet.
The target publication date for this novel is September 2024. I will share more details as the year progresses.
Serials
I enjoyed bringing Snow Dragon to life as a serialized novella late last summer. Writing a serial was a fun experiment and let me expand on the supernatural lore surrounding Deer Falls in a terrifying and satisfying way. My 2024 writing plans would not feel complete without the inclusion of a new serial.
Keep your eyes peeled for a new reader’s choice poll in an upcoming newsletter. My next serial will be determined by reader vote like the last one. I’ll present four choices and the winning story in the week-long poll will be developed into a novella length multi-episode serial. Publication dates for the serial are still undetermined, but a late 2024 debut is the most likely scenario based on my current writing plan.
The Road Ahead
Planning to publish two novels and a new serial on top of launching a website in the same calendar year probably feels insane to an outside observer. I choose to embrace the madness. I love storytelling. This is my passion and I want to pursue this passion well into my old age.
Choosing the road less traveled offers a more rewarding journey. Thank you for your loyal support as I write and publish stories. It keeps me going forward on challenging days when my spirits need an extra lift. Please continue sharing this newsletter with your friends, family, and neighbors and invite all to subscribe. Please keep spreading the word about all my published novels, novellas, and short stories.
Help me make these fictional worlds I’ve spent countless hours creating become a treasured part of the real world.
Good luck with 2024.