Years ago while traveling to do writing workshops, I was listening to an episode of CBC's excellent Under the Influence podcast, which is about the world of advertising, when the host, Terry O'Reilly, did an episode about advertisers who did one thing different that set them apart from the competition. One of the examples he mentioned was the Hathaway shirt eye patch campaign, in which having the model where a five-cent black eye patch led to one of the most successful marketing campaigns in history, lasing for thirty years. Oddly enough, a version of that eye patch idea has found its way into LARPers, book 7 in the Milligan Creek series, and I'll hope you agree it really helps set this story apart as well!
I was trying to do some research for LARPers, book 7 in the Milligan Creek Series, yesterday on the couch, but our yorkie, Karl, decided enough was enough.
I'm deep into the throes of writing LARPers, book 7 in the Milligan Creek Series, which is about live action role-playing. Therefore, I'm deep into Dungeons & Dragons lore and resources. The purple thing to the left is the original D&D campaign I got when I was about thirteen years old. Then I also have the Player's Handbook and the Monster Manual open. I'm having so much fun with this!
Since 2016, it's been my tradition to release a new book in the Milligan Creek series every fall. Unfortunately, this year I ran into a bit of a snag: cancer. That's right, the big C.
I was diagnosed in mid-August, had my preliminary appointments from Sept. 3-12 and then entered treatment on Sept. 20, which lasted until Nov. 10. As you can imagine, not only the shock of the diagnosis but also the treatment itself rocked my world. I tried to write during treatment, but treatment was so difficult that I only managed to get out a chapter or two. I need to be in a positive, excited, happy headspace to write these books, and that's not at all how I would describe the process of undergoing chemotherapy and radiation. Post treatment, I've had several difficult weeks of recovery during which eating, drinking, and sleeping have been difficult, but I'm finally back into a headspace and a place of physical health that I'm feeling the creative juices flowing again. The good news is, not only has writing resumed on LARPers, book 7 in the series, my cancer prognosis is quite positive. The type of cancer I have has a 95% cure rate, and so far things are looking great. That means (hopefully), there'll be many more Milligan Creek books and other books in the years ahead. Stay tuned for updates! I've just collected the first 3 Milligan Creek books into a single volume, available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook. It's not too late to order for Christmas! Volume 2 is coming soon!
I'm super excited to say that Brooms, book 2 in the Uncanny Icons Series, is now available in paperback and Kindle ebook (hardcover to come soon). Here's a teaser: Sixteen-year-old Maggie Addison is a goon. At least that’s what she’s branded after she starts an epic hockey brawl following her team’s disappointing loss in the playoffs. Kicked out of the league for a year, her parents decide that Maggie’s best option is to lie low for a while. and what better place to do that than in a remote northern community on the shore of one of the largest lakes in Saskatchewan? First it got longer, then it got shorter, and then it got longer again. After getting notes from my two beta readers and doing my own read-through, I have finally finished another major draft of Brooms, book 2 in the Uncanny Icons Series. I've taken my time with this draft, going through a few dozen pages per day, and the process has worked well. It's given me lots of time to think and reflect on various scenes and story elements, so I can give them just the right touch. All that remains now is to do a final read and polish. Then it's time for layout and e-book conversion. All things considered, I'm aiming for a release date of August 15, if not sooner.
In the meantime, check out the photo below. Believe it or not, it's the top of a curling hat that I found in a thrift store recently. Spoiler alert: The Great Grain Elevator Incident, book 4 in the Milligan Creek Series, involves a tornado. Lo and behold, yesterday a tornado touched down right near my home town of Foam Lake, after which I modeled the town of Milligan Creek. Here are a few photos snapped by various folks. To the best of my knowledge, a tornado has never been sighted in that area before.
As I wait for my beta readers to finish their review of Brooms (I'm getting positive feedback so far!), I've begun laying the groundwork for book 7 in the Milligan Creek Series, LARPers, which I hope to release before the end of the year. In case you don't know, LARP stands for "live action role playing." It's where people who normally play role-playing games (RPGs) like Dungeons & Dragons move their adventures from the gaming table to the real world. See the Marvel TV series Hawkeye for an example of LARPers in action (although I had the idea for this book long before that show, seeing as I actually engaged in LARPing when I was in my early teens).
Now that I'm seven books into the Milligan Creek series, I thought it would be fairly easy to write this novel, seeing as I don't have to create a whole new cast, fantasy backstory, and so forth as I have to do with each book in the Uncanny Icons Series. Wrong. Little did I realize when I signed onto this project that before I can write the actual story of what happens (which I've already pretty much mapped out), I have to come up an entire fantasy story that forms the background of the campaign that the RPG characters will play out. Not only that, I have to flesh out each RPG character, including their backstory and how they became part of the campaign. I also have to work out the real-world identities for three new characters that I'm introducing to the Milligan Creek world. All that to say, far more groundwork is required than I anticipated. The good news is, a couple of years ago I spent some time developing a character named Thurgil Bloodguard as part of an online D&D campaign. I bailed out after the first phase of that adventure, but I decided to use Thurgil as the centerpiece of this new story. Over the past week or so, I've spent more time fleshing out his backstory, and that unlocked pretty much all of the other characters as well. I'm excited to say that all of the main pieces are now in place, so I can finally get back to the "real" story. My goal is to start the first draft in July. |
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February 2024
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