212 - October 17, 2021 - Black Death Survival, Dawn of Assassins, RJ Barker, The Bone Ships

Welcome to Jon’s author diary for the week ending October 17, 2021. I’ve had a busy week. Much of it has been spent getting everything ready for my launch of Black Death Survival. This is now up for pre-order and the paperback is live. The hardback is in review and I’ve been going through the auditions for the audio edition. I’ve taken a step back from writing A Murder of Crows and have decided I need to write another draft of Dawn of Assassins. I thought this book was done. But it needs something else. My unconscious mind has been nagging at me for a few weeks about this book. And it was right. So, I’m going through one more time to make sure the setting feels more lived in. The story’s there, there characters are there, but I need to spend a bit more time showing the setting to the reader. It’s a grubby, grimy setting, and although I can picture that in my mind, it doesn’t come through onthe page. So, this is going to put my schedule back for this book, but I’d rather release something I’m proud of than a book I know isn’t as good as I can make it. Reading This week I read The Memory Code by Lynne Kelly. This was a book about how oral history is communicated through objects and markers on the landscape. Her main argument is the places like Goblekli Tepe, Stonehenge, and Easter Island could have been built to help tell stories. Her research was fascinating, though I’m not sure I buy all of her arguments. I also read The Bone Ships by RJ Barker. This was excellent. If you enjoy nautical fantasy with luscious worldbuilding, this is a book for you. What’s next? So, next week is all about getting everything ready for launching Black Death Survival. Plus, I want to carry on with my redraft of Dawn of Assassins. It also looks like my research trip to Egypt is going ahead next month, so I need to start gathering provisions for that. Take care, Jon