What I Planned For This Year, and How It Turned Out...
At the beginning of this year, I made a post listing my plans for this year. And as the end of the year draws closer, let's take a look at how things went, shall we?
1- Re-work, re-edit, and re-release “The Bridge” in a special 10th Anniversary version.
RESULTS: As of today, this project is just shy of 2/3's of the way finished. So, it's well on target for being re-released in 2023. Admittedly, I had hoped to have it completed and ready to release in January 2023, but I'll settle for getting it out before the coming year is over.
2 – Get a complete 1st draft of “The Vampyre Blogs – Family Ties” which takes up mere weeks after the end of “The Vampyre Blogs – Coming Home”.
RESULTS: Well... the first draft is under way, so that's something. Right? Please tell me I'm right. I'm feeling guilty over here.
3 – Release the first volume of “The Pass” trilogy, which I wrote with my old high school friend Rich Caminiti, with some fantastic illustrations by the talented Gabrielle Callan. We will be releasing this book in hardback (yes, your read that right) and e-book formats.
RESULTS: (cricket noises) Health and other complications slowed us down on this one. However, we do have a hardback "Proof Copy" that Rich and I have been going over together and finding a number of issues that we are correcting. However, there is no doubt that we will get the first book of the trilogy out in 2023. So keep an eye out for this new and exciting tale to arrive in the coming months.
4 – Rich and I will be working on the 2nd and 3rd drafts of the second installment of “The Pass” trilogy with hopes of releasing that book in 2023.
*The 1st draft is already completed so we have high hopes of getting this to happen*
RESULTS: (even more cricket noises) Mind you, the 1st draft of the 2nd book is still completed, and we will be working on the 2nd and 3rd drafts as we get the 1st book out in 2023.
5 – Record and release Helen’s 1st solo anthology “Forever W. I. T. C. H. Hunting”, which is actually a spinoff from her Forever Detective Series and will feature characters from that series as well as a few new faces who will be appearing in future installments of The Forever Detective books.
RESULTS: The book itself was released and the actual title is "W. I. T. C. H. Hunters Forever". As far as the audiobook goes, I've recorded 2-3 of the stories, but I still have a ways to go on the others. But, an audiobook version will be coming in 2023 (hopefully by May if not sooner). We'll see what happens.
6 – I hope to begin recording “The Vampyre Blogs – Coming Home” with the help of Helen to bring more variety of voices for your listening pleasure.
RESULTS: I have actually gotten several entries recorded already, but I still have a long ways to go before it will be finished. But 2023 will hopefully see the audiobook come to life by September, just in time for the Halloween season.
7 – We may start adding some podcasts occasionally to this blog and maybe even to YouTube. We have the equipment and the ability to do it, so you may actually get to see and hear us once in a while.
RESULTS: The great thing about saying "We may start..." is that it didn't promise anything actually happening. Which is fortunate because we had a lot on our plate already for this year, and many new issues arose that needed our attention first. So although this did not come to pass, we do have plans and will be taking our first steps to make this happen in 2023. We'll see what happens.
8 – Finally, I’m starting to look into voiceover work opportunities for myself this coming year. I’m already on LinkedIn and have seen opportunities becoming more numerous, as well as over on Audible. There are apparently opportunities here in and around Santa Cruz, so I may be trying out for a few here and there. It all depends on time and how many spoons I can spare without burning myself out.
RESULTS: I did look into things more and discovered that one of the most important things I needed to really start applying for some of these opportunities are some "Demo" recordings which act as a portfolio/resume' for voice actors. And that is something I do not have. Also, it is not something I can really do on my own at home with the equipment I have, which is fine for Audiobooks, but not for "Demos". So as 2022 approaches its end, I have gone back to taking Voiceover classes to further develop my skills, as well as getting support, scripts and eventually professionally done "Demo" recordings. So before 2023 is out, I WILL be auditioning for voiceover work professionally.
So, overall I didn't do too bad, right?
Alright, I'll level with you folks. Since September I've been dealing with a health issue that is still being investigated to find the cause and how to deal with it. I started having an elevated heart rate where even resting I was at 100 beats per minute. After MRI's and cardiograms, they have ruled out my heart itself being the problem, but they have discovered a couple of other issues that could be triggering this and are diving deeper to find the answers. Currently, medication has my heart at a more normal level, but I'm suffering dizziness and fatigue to the point I've been on FMLA since September.
This fatigue has slowed me down on a number of fronts, including writing and blogging (obviously, since I haven't posted as often as I'd like this year). But I'm hanging in there, so no worries. I have been doing some writing and recording, just not as much as I would really like to be doing. But it is happening, nonetheless. So your patience is appreciated.
On the plus side, I did release not one but two video narrations on YouTube, in case you missed them. One of them is my presentation of Charles Dicken's "A Christmas Carol", complete with me supplying all the voices along with images I found on the internet to give you all a picture book experience as I narrate the entire novella as it was written and can be found below:
Plus I did the same thing for one of Helen's short stories from her recently published short story collection "W. I. T. C. H. Hunter's Forever" which is a spinoff from her Forever Detective Series starring her detective/vampire Rafael Jones (who does make a brief appearance in one of the stories). This tale is also a Christmas themed story, involving none other than the legendary demon Krampus. Which can be viewed here at:
Once again, I had a lot of fun supplying the voices and gathering images from across the internet to bring a more enjoyable view/listening experience to the audience.
I will probably be doing more YouTube presentations of stories written by Helen and myself, as well as some little known (but highly entertaining) ghost stories I have found in Public Domain, including one tale from Lord Dunsany, who was a huge influence to the man who created the Cthulhu Mythos, H. P. Lovecraft.
So, there's quite a bit on the horizon for 2023 and we hope you'll stick with us and check out our work and help spread the word. Because there's no better advertising than word of mouth.
Thanks for all your continued support throughout this year, and we'll see you again soon.
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