Howdy!

It’s 2015, y’all, and Views From The Captain’s Chair is back!

I have sort of made a resolution, although I hate to call it that since we all know how well resolutions fare (hint: they don’t). What’s my resolution? To keep up with writing a weekly blog and give a little insight into how I got where I am as a full-time writer and how I get through the process of day to day writing without losing my shit. It isn’t always easy.

Now, what I won’t be doing in this blog is reacting. If there is a publishing issue out there, and we all know there always is, I’m going to ignore it and not weigh in on the subject. Why? Well, for one thing, there are way more qualified writers and publishing professionals out there that can give you insight into the many facets of [insert publishing kerfuffle du jour]. But, the main reason is because none of that crap is my problem, it’s all just a distraction from what I should be doing, which is writing.

We live in such a divisive, and punitive, world that I don’t feel the need to add to it all. I’m just gonna be Jake and let y’all know about what I’m doing, why I’m doing it, and why you shouldn’t give two craps about me because your life is your life and your path is your path.

See that? I just told you my blog posts really aren’t worth your time. Read them if you want some insight into my process, but always remember, if you are a writer reading this, that your process is your process. There is no one single path. There aren’t even just two paths. There are infinite paths. INFINITE! Find yours, fight to stay on it, and read my shit if you want some entertainment or company along the way.

With all that said, I’m going to dive into what my 2015 is going to look like and why/how I got here (hint: not on a Segway). Ready? Away we go!

Jake’s 2015:

First, I have eight novels to write for Severed Press. Last year I was contracted to write a novel a month, with a couple months off in between. This was good because it gave me focus, gave me advances (income for the win!), and kept me disciplined. But, what I learned is my natural compulsion for punctuality was ripping my soul apart.

Okay, that’s a bit hyperbolic, but it’s close. I’m a little on the spectrum when it comes to timing. I get to movies a half hour before they are supposed to start; I’m never late turning in library books; and I have to force myself to be fashionably late to parties. I have punctuality issues, I know this.

When I found myself behind with novel deadlines in 2014 I came close to freaking out. I learned something in 2014 that I am now applying to 2015. What did I learn? I have focus and discipline, I don’t need the killer deadlines. I have never worked so hard at a job in my life, and if I fail then my family goes broke, so that is drive enough. The deadlines were more a distraction than anything.

So, in 2015 I will not have any deadlines except for December 31st. I have to have eight novels turned in by then. I can do that without going cuckoo for cocoa puffs.

What are these novels, you ask? Well, let me tell you! In list form!

In Perpetuity– A military space thriller based on a short story I wrote a long time ago. There will be lots of blasters and star fighters and pew pew pews and aliens and space battles galore and all that cool shit. Yes!

AntiBio 2– I’ll be wrapping this series up with this sequel. It hasn’t done as well as we’d liked. Oh, well.

Z-Burbia 6: Rocky Mountain Die– Yeah, baby, that’s the title! This novel will wrap up the Stanford part of the Z-Burbia saga. This doesn’t mean I’m done with the series, but I may be taking it in a different direction. Maybe.

Kaiju Inferno– The third book in my Kaiju Winter series. Shit gonna get crazy!

Mega 4– Team Grendel will be back and the adventures will be AWESOME!

Dead Team Alpha 2– Gonna wrap this series up as well. Like AntiBio, it never took off. No worries.

Kaiju Fall– The finale to the Kaiju Winter series.

Eighth Book To Be Named- Could be another Mega or more military space goodness. We’ll see. Huzzah for flexibility!

What else?

I’m also working with a good friend of mine from back in the high school days, Joel Barber, on a comic book series. It’s post-apocalyptic, but not dystopian. First script is done and we’re going to be pitching it to a specific comic book publisher. We may have a good shot at getting this. Fingers crossed.

I may get back into narration and tackle my Kaiju series as well as DTA. I should (hahahahaha!) have the time to do some recording/producing. That’d be cool. When will that happen? As soon as I get a new Mac. I can’t trust my current Macbook to handle the stress and there’s no way I’m recording for six hours just to have it all get dumped because my ancient Mac shits the bed. Not happening.

Possibly working on the script for MALK: The Movie. This is a continuation of the short film I made with Team Long Shot for the 48 Hour Film Project. Hoping to get enough interest and funding to make a feature film. More fingers crossed!

I also have two new novel series I want to get working on. One could be an extension of the Z-Burbia universe and the other is brand new, but totally awesome. What are they? Ha! Wouldn’t you like to know! I’m a brutal tease! Muwahahahahaha!

And, as always, I’m sure I’ll get myself overbooked on other stuffs. It’s inevitable.

In addition to all this work, I may take a very long vacation with the Fam over the summer. A cross country road trip out West. The plus of a long trip like that is I can write in the car while we drive. The minus of a long trip like that is I can write in the car while we drive. Oh, the dichotomy of life!

Oh, wait, there’s more! In addition to the Severed Press novels coming out, I also have two series from Permuted Press being released (I think).

The first is ScareScapes, which is a middle grade horror/scifi adventure series. Think Goosebumps in deep space meets the Scooby-Gang. I know there are plenty of kids ages 8-12 that want some good horror/scifi fun, and plenty of parents that are trying to find that fun for them, so this series is made just for them. It’s gonna be great! Be on the lookout for these this summer, I believe.

The second is my Reign of Four series, which I have loosely based on the reigns of Edward I, Edward II, Edward III, and the Black Prince of England. This series is full on medieval space fiction. Everything is stripped down tech wise and it centers more on the drama of life than on the action of space. Don’t worry, though, there will be blood! And guts! And sex! It’s Game of Thrones in space, yo! Hopefully these will start coming out before the holiday season. Hopefully.

Is that all? Dear God, I hope so. I think that’s enough for one year.

I hope (I’ve got a lot of hope) this info gives y’all a little insight into my writing career. It’s not all sitting on the couch watching American Horror Story while eating Doritos. Sure, that’s a big part of my process, but not all of it.

Happy 2015, y’all!

Cheers!