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Skate 3 Progress continues on rewrites, though much slower than I would like. I've been unfocused and too easily distracted lately, but I hope to be back on the right track now. Can't say when it will be ready to send to publishers, but it will happen, rest assured. Media Bit of a slump in shows and games right now. I've been playing an inordinate amount of Balatro, and I've been spending a little time back in Tears of the Kingdom, which has mostly consisted of me gathering every cooking material I can and using none of it. Beyond that, I've taken a break from trying any new games, at least for now. I've been watching Sarah Paine videos on YouTube, which has replaced movie watching as my nightly ritual. Miscellany I accidentally broke my mower while trying to replace the pull cord, so it's back to the garage with that nonsense. I'm grateful for my neighbor, who let me borrow theirs in between all the storms. Summer's getting ever closer, and it cannot get here quickly enough! That’s all from me, for now. Tell your story! – J. E. Ayers 
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 Me, causing problems for characters I write. Skate 3 Rewrites continue as I stitch together pieces of the story to cover what I've taken out; hopefully it comes out better looking than Victor Frankenstein's work. Media The world of Roshar has called me back, finally starting to finish Rhythm of War. I enjoy the odd, side characters more than the main cast for the most part in these books. I don't know why. Rewatching Samurai Jack as I do the dishes each night. I haven't gotten to the new, renewed season yet, and I'm looking forward to that when the time comes. I checked out Fire Emblem: Engage from the library for the Switch. It's fun, but it may be another instance of not being engaging (lol) enough to get me to renew and finish the thing. We'll see. Miscellany My yard is unmowed because my mower won't start, and I have no idea how to fix a small engine! I don't really want to mow the yard at all, but I recognize that it's a necessary thing to do. I really, really don't want to spend money on another mower. We'll see! That’s all from me, for now. Tell your story! – J. E. Ayers  Skate 3 Rewrites! Entire chapters have had to be scrapped, and now the task of stitching together what remains has begun. New chapters are in process now. Media I'm currently reading Danielewski's House of Leaves for the first time, and what a strange achievement this book is. From a reader's perspective, I'm intrigued and full of dread with every turn of the page. From a writer's perspective, I'm impressed by the creativity and layers of the story Danielewski's managed to craft.
Miscellany After a dusting of snow this morning, I think we may finally be through the winter weather for the year. Now comes the rains, the growing grass, the bugs. My Japanese lessons through Duolingo continue, and I've found that I have even occasionally been able to form sentences to get a point across if I really get lucky. My pronunciation, I assure you, remains a horror. That’s all from me, for now. Tell your story! – J. E. Ayers   Skate 3 A first pass through the manuscript is done, mostly consisting of notes of what to change. Larger work looms ahead, shifting of plotlines and merging and dividing of characters. Media I've found myself very interested in Professor Sarah Paine's lectures on Dwarkesh Patel's channel on YouTube. I don't have a particular interest in military history, but the insights into the US foreign policy mistakes of the past are fascinating. It doesn't hurt that the professor is an engaging lecturer, and obviously widely read in her field. Aside from my own work, I've been continuing my way through Martin's Storm of Swords. As a book series that I read not only for pleasure but also as a lesson in the craft, I am consistently impressed by GRRM's work. Civilization VI continues to entertain, as does Slay the Spire. With the reintroduction of adventure mode to Dwarf Fortress, there will be no lack of games to play in my household. Miscellany Winter weather seems to have taken a break from us, for now. February sometimes brings us more snow, so we'll see if that happens this year. I dread the return of spring, with all the pollen and rain, and even more the heat and mowing and bugs of summer. Winter is my season, and I'm a little sad to see it on the way out, as I am each year. That’s all from me, for now. Tell your story! – J. E. Ayers  Skate 3 I’ve let it marinate long enough, and January marks the official start of revisions on Rag & Bone, book 3. Many changes, deletions, additions, and rewrites await. I’ve got a timetable in mind for how long it will take that I am absolutely NOT sharing for fear that I’ll disappoint by missing my own deadlines. It’s on the way, and that’s enough for now. Media I enjoyed Mufasa, though I think the music was my favorite part, especially the number about wanting a brother. I’ve rewatched Fellowship again because it’s like going home every time I see the Shire. I’ve recently been introduced to NBC’s Abbot Elementary, which has been out for a while at this point, and I’m liking that quite a bit. Cowboy Bebop continues to stand the test of time.
I’m still in Westeros in books, making my way through Storm, and I’m coming up on THAT chapter. Not looking forward to it. Miscellany Some of the notes from Wicked still keep rumbling through my head at odd times. School starts back again next week. It’s meant to be bitterly cold next week; I don’t know if we’ll get any flakes out of the deal, but I’m hoping to get some before the season leaves again. That’ll have to be enough, because I still haven’t gotten that darn weather machine working. That’s all from me, for now. Tell your story! – J. E. Ayers  I wrote up a list for Shepherd, a website about books by people who love them. If you're interested in seeing what authors have to say about stories and writing, you should go check it out. Here's my list! -Jeff 
obvious sequel to the movie at the end. I feel like it wasn’t necessary, and it does color my memory of the whole project as a result. Wicked… listen, I knew for years that this was huge in the stage musical world, and having seen it on the big screen, I can finally say I understand why. The music, the story, the performances – I feel like I’ve been missing out for decades for not knowing anything about this sooner. I went in totally ignorant of everything but the basic premise (what if the wicked witch from that movie in the forties wasn’t really bad?) and the fact that Idina Menzel was involved somehow in the original. Having seen the movie exactly one time, I cannot recommend it highly enough. If I had the money and time, I’d go see it again. Miscellany I got to play a card game I haven’t played in over a decade with friends, some of whom I haven’t seen in just as much time. Pies and ham were enjoyed in amounts that could conservatively be called copious. Minecraft calls again. I, like the children, do indeed yearn for the mines. That’s all from me, for now. Tell your story! – J. E. Ayers  Skate 3 I’m nearing the end of Skate 3’s first draft; I am confident reporting that my plan is to be done with the first draft before Christmas – keyword being “plan,” and we all know what Robert Burns had to say about those things. Still, it looks likely. My trip to New York slowed down progress, but not so much that we’re thrown off of that goal yet. Media I finished watching HBO’s Penguin, and let me say, the biggest of Oofs. The finale was brutal. Good, but I’m gonna be recovering from that for a while. HBO’s now got the Dune universe series coming out next week, and I can’t imagine passing on that. I’ve also been watching Disney’s Owl House with my son, and that’s been a delight. I particularly enjoy Hootie; there’s something very fun to me about a tertiary, silly character in animated movies and shows.  As far as games go, I’m back in the throes of a Dwarf Fortress season. Send supplies and well-wishes. As usual, I’ve found myself drawn – again – to Westeros and another read through of Clash and Storm, the latter of which is often called one of the crowning (ha) achievements in modern fantasy literature, for good reason. I’m also re-reading The Devil in the White City for class, and I always appreciate Larson’s prose. I’m not one for non-fiction as a rule, but he makes it entertaining to read, and that’s an achievement all its own.
 Absence Near the end of May, a dang ol’ tornado hit our neighborhood. Without power and down a window for a while, there’s been a lot going on at the house. That made it hard to get much of anything done, including keeping everyone informed on what was going on. Sorry about that. Things are more or less back to normal now that the school year has started, so I don’t expect to be so silent going forward. Again, sorry. I blame the tornado, and you should too. That thing was a real jerk. Skate 3 Despite it all, progress continues on Skate. I’m not going to give any dates regarding when I expect a first draft to be done, but I do have a personal date that I expect to reach that goal. We will see if I meet it or not, but I’m notably closer than I was five months ago. Media Current video game obsession: Sid Meier’s Civilization VI. I picked it up from the Switch store for ten bucks, and that was a solid purchase. I loved Civilization V, and VI has been quite fun to get a handle on. There were a lot of movies over the summer, but the one that hit me the hardest was one I wasn’t expecting, Inside Out 2. I note at this point that there are a lot of sequels in this section, a trend that continues with HBO’s Penguin, a sort of tie-in TV sequel for The Batman. It’s been good so far, and I expect it will continue. Oh, and of course, there was House of the Dragon. I am excited by good fantasy, and that show hasn’t gone the way of Game of Thrones just yet. Miscellany I went to several author events over the summer. Follow me on Threads and Instagram if you’re wanting to see pics of those places, and the former especially if you also want to see all the dumb stuff that pops into my head on a daily basis. That’s all from me, for now. Tell your story! – J. E. Ayers
Media I’ve been playing old games recently. There’s something comforting in the pixelated, point-and-click simplicity of the first Baldur’s Gate on the PC (Enhanced Edition on Steam for updated graphics and bug fixes, but still), the sprawling 4X fun of Civilization V, the blocky jumping and flying of Super Mario World – these are evergreen to me, never worth scoffing at, always fun in their seasons and times. I’m halfway through Sanderson’s Rhythm of War, and I’m fully engaged with the plot and characters. It’s been a while since I’ve visited Roshar, so it took some time for me to get reacquainted with everyone, but I’m there now. Miscellany Other projects are in the works, not just Skate. Nothing to announce there, but I’m writing, writing, writing. With summer coming on, I hope to visit some bookshops. I went recently to a new one in the region, Fox & Fable. Here’s a tip for any shop owners: Get a friendly shop dog.
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AuthorJeff Ayers writes books that are pretty good. Archives
May 2025
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