It has been another year of adventure in the life of this self-published author. Let's recap...
Five books published... FitzDuncan's Enlightenment, FitzDuncan's Fortune, and FitzDuncan's Gambit, plus Pike's Progress and The Defense of the Commonwealth.
Some awards won... Gallantry in Action (my first book) earned recognition as a B.R.A.G. Medallion winner, as a Finalist in the Independent Author Network (IAN) Awards, and as a Finalist in the Readers' Favorite Awards. Pike's Passage is currently on the "Short List" of books still eligible for the Cygnus Award.
What's in the works for 2023? Well, I just finished the first draft of the next FitzDuncan book, tentatively titled FitzDuncan's Hope. I am roughly forty percent of the way into the follow-up to The Defense of the Commonwealth, as we ride along with Perseverance Andrews. A fourth Pike book is also underway, but it has been slow going. There are at least a couple of FitzDuncan books to come, though I may end up in prequel territory.
One sad note... my dog, Gus, died unexpectedly in the middle of the night December 14/15. Gus was a "bagle hound" (beagle/basset mix) who I adopted in the spring of 2014. He was my "campus dog" as opposed to our other dogs who live with my wife in Maine year-round. Gus was the most loyal companion anyone could hope for and I miss him a hundred times every day.
They say that the best thing to do when you're thrown out of the saddle is to climb right back on, so I have made arrangements to become the owner of a Clumber Spaniel puppy. Her name will be Aggie, short for Agrippina Minor (one of the more fascinating women in Roman history). I am looking forward to meeting her and I'm certain the students at my school will fall in love with her.
Despite the loss of Gus, it has been a fun year. I am extremely grateful that some readers have found my books and are liking them. As long as people are enjoying them, I'll keep writing.
Happy New Year to all!
JS
