It’s the end of February! Do you know what that means?
If you answered no, that’s great! Because neither do I. At this moment, I’m in that hazy, mushy, confusing space between projects. I just finished a Thing, and now I must select the next Thing to work on. Sure, I have my priority queue, and the next thing up really does need to get done. But…
People keep shoving things in my path. Sometimes, they’re fun things I want to do. Other times, it’s the IRS.
Fun fact: the act of doing my taxes is actually kind of soothing, in a way. It’s a wholly noncreative act that requires attention to detail and throwing papers everywhere. I just don’t like starting.
Next month, I have no new releases, but it’s time to start talking about this one, coming in April:
Holly Heisey designed that cover, and I couldn’t be more happy with their work. I happen to think the stories inside it live up to that promise of excellence.
This project began as a handful of conversations with my good friend, co-author, and business partner, Jeffrey Cook. About three years ago, we saw how well people reacted to Unnatural Dragons and wanted to do something similar to help support a bunch of our friends.
The concept came swiftly. One of my early books (Damsel In Distress) already has a self-rescuing damsel. I’ve used that term to describe the main character for some time. It’s such a great term, we even put it on a button that we sell alongside our books at shows.
What didn’t come swiftly was my confidence about handling the project itself. Instead of diving in and learning everything by screwing up with friends and paid professionals (BTW, everyone involved in this project is getting paid, and your dollars will reimburse the payer for the production costs), I volunteered to edit a charity anthology project and learn the ropes with a much more forgiving pool of victims authors.
And now here we are with a beautiful collection of stories about women and girls who aren’t basic, archetypal heroes rescuing themselves and others from peril.
The ladies aren’t waiting. Neither should you!
P.S. As a value-added bonus, I’ve also included a new Ilauris story in this volume, on that takes place directly after Damsel In Distress.