It's Gonna Be May

Skate the Seeker

Work continues with the good people at Thinklings on book 2 of the Rag & Bone Chronicles. Once I get the final copy back, it’s another read through for me and then off to the printers for final formatting. Keep an eye out; we’ll likely have a preview chapter out before the release day: September 12, 2023.

Media

With school trying its best to wind down, I’m neck deep in Gatsby. We’re finally through the book, and now it’s on to Baz Luhrmann’s kaleidoscopic retelling for a series of comparisons between film and novel. This movie never gives you a chance to stop and think, a ceaseless whirlwind of spectacle and drama. I love it, and look forward to it each year.

I’ve got a foot in Westeros as well, in Storm of Swords for the fourth read-through. I think if I read the books enough, GRRM may finally finish book six. Probably not helping, but I’m gonna do my part to try. I also picked up a copy of Estranged from my local bookstore, and it’s a fun graphic fairytale for middle-grade readers. I recommend it for anyone who’s a fan of fantasy.

Miscellany

I’ve finished the first draft of my side project, and I’m nearly done with my first read-through. This pass is mostly to take note of what needs fixing the most – inconsistencies, flagrant narrative cheating, plot troubles – though I do take the time to tighten up the prose with this pass, just as I do for each of them. Plenty of work to do yet. I doubt I’ll have a finished manuscript before it’s time to work on R&B 3, but I plan to get as far as I can in the process.

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Image belongs to Nintendo, Inc.

I’m looking forward to taking my son to see the Mario movie; I’ve heard it’s great fun, the exact sort of thing I’d like to watch with him in preparation for his birthday this month. I’m also greatly anticipating the sequel to Breath of the Wild on the Switch. Tears of the Kingdom looks awesome, and I am doing my best to avoid too many spoilers in the meantime. I’ve started playing Minecraft, and it’s fun in survival and creative modes, providing another distraction for as long as I care to enjoy it.

That’s all from me, for now.

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–J. E. Ayers