Been drawing a bit more, watching movies, keeping myself distracted, and revisiting my two current Cobalt Rogue projects and Jumping for Charlotte.

Got a nice story, though: so I'm a member of a group of indie authors who gather at the local library to share each other's stories and offer advice, constructive criticism, and just an all-around friendly environment. Two people are usually chosen to send out their submissions a week before the meeting. I haven't been attending often for a number of reasons, none of which are because of any negative feelings toward the group or any one member; I genuinely like the group and the people I talk to there, but whenever it becomes my turn to submit, I don't want to shaft someone else with that responsibility, so I always send something.

Naturally, since my attendance is shit, that means I haven't given much criticism of my own except in the odd time I'm actually motivated to go when it's NOT my turn to submit. I feel bad when I show up to hear my own criticisms despite feeling unmotivated otherwise. I feel like a selfish ass. Just about all of my submissions have received unanimous praise, with only a few detractors here and there, but such is the world of criticism, right? All's fair and these guys are genuinely supportive. My latest submission also received acclaim from them, and one guy in particular told me, "You know, I'm kinda frustrated. I know it's difficult maintaining attendance and stuff. I know I don't show up to every meeting, none of us have 100%. But when I got your story, I was pissed. I thought 'This guy never criticizes my work; I'm gonna hate this so much.' I was determined to hate it. I'm not even a full page in and I'm already loving it. So I owe you my thanks. You changed my mood for the better that day, and you proved me wrong with this amazing story."
So I uh... didn't quite know what to say to that. I was glad he liked it, which I thanked him for, and I felt bad that my feedback in return was lacking, for which I apologized profusely to not only him but the rest of the attendees that day. I didn't think my work had that much power, especially one about a guy trying to escape an army of coworkers trying to sacrifice him to their satanic Y2K god, but this one changed the man's whole day. I'm amazed and pleasantly surprised by that. It sure brought me up for a while...

Anyway, I think I've decided to keep all Final Apocalypse Saga installment releases within the month of August from here on out. Hopefully I'll have Vol. 3 and 3.5 done by then. It's been over three years since I first published Vol. 1, then under the Dark-Boy title before I changed it... I really ought to get the ball rolling again.

Not sure when I'll have Jumping for Charlotte done. All publication dates for this are subject to change until further notice, as I've only really found the time for this (sometimes) while I'm working behind the desk at this motel on quiet nights. Might aim for Valentine's Day next year, might not. One thing's for certain--I intend to have all projects you see on here with 'intended release dates' done before I start anything else long-term. So after these three projects are completed, I'm making The Laughter in the Woods my top priority.

Stay tuned...