This post is a little late, I realize. But then I’ve also noticed these posts have been getting progressively later. Have I started dreading them as more and more goals pile up, unfulfilled?

So here’s my goals for August, how’d I do?

• Keep writing Thunder Road Book 3. No word count goal, this time afraid. I need a win.
• Catch up transcribing my handwritten notes.
• Polish the first short story I wrote in May. It’s set in the Thunder Road ‘verse and takes place just after the first book. No Ted in this story. I’m playing around with some minor characters. Who doesn’t like dwarf women kicking ass?
• Polish the short story formerly meant for the Innsmouth Free Press “Wings” special issue.
• Write my Loki’s Guide to Ymir blog post.
• Write up a blog post or two about my time at the Icelandic Festival in Gimli.

Not too bad, not as good as I’d hoped. But all things considered, with all the travel I did in August, I’m okay with that.

So, what’s up for September?

• Keep writing Thunder Road Book 3. No word count goal again. Any forward progress while I’m prepping for the launch and tour of Tombstone Blues is going to be considered a win.
• Polish the first short story I wrote in May. It’s set in the Thunder Road ‘verse and takes place just after the first book. No Ted in this story. I’m playing around with some minor characters. Who doesn’t like dwarf women kicking ass?
• Start pre-writing blog posts for my website and guest blogs for during the Tombstone Blues tour.
• Submit a review to The Winnipeg Review.
• Actually get my next goals post up a little earlier than middle of October.

I’ve decided to drop the second short story from the list until I finally put that first one to bed. If all goes well, it’ll make a triumphant return to my October Goals post. Oh, and in the goals for the year category, another one bites the dust!

• Finish Tombstone Blues
• Start writing the as-yet nebulously titled book 3 in the Thunder Road Trilogy (I’m thinking this will be a good year to return to NaNoWriMo).
• Attend at least one SF&F convention in a city that I’ve never been to.
• Revise at least one of the three drafted novel manuscripts I’ve been letting lie fallow until it is in submission shape and then send it out.
• Start a new writing project, just for the fun of it.

The pages have been proofed, the dedication and acknowledgements have been written, and I have put in the last words on Tombstone Blues. For good or ill, it’s off to the printer. I hope you’ll all love it.

Write on!