Four years ago, I started writing down the projects I planned to accomplish during the year. This accountability was great to keep me on track. There’s something about declaring the different goals for the year, especially when you can finish at least a few of them. For 2023, I’m finally reaching the end of some bigger projects I started a few years ago. This means I’m almost free of the obligations I put myself under. With a new infant in the house, it’ll be interesting to see how much I can get done this year. Here’s what I currently have planned:
Stop Screaming
I’ve been getting some good feedback on the recipes from my ice cream cookbook, Stop Screaming. I’ve made some changes to a few of the recipes and how they’re collected in the book, so there are only a few left that need testing prior to going live with it sometime this year. Since this is a somewhat smaller passion project, I don’t feel as stressed about it than something I’ve put a lot more effort into (like last year’s Buried Colony). Still, this book is filled with the love of ice cream that my wife and I have developed for almost an entire decade and we can’t wait for you to read it and try out the recipes yourself.
The Third Degree: 10th Anniversary Edition
It only makes sense that after two years of releasing 10th Anniversary Editions of the first two parts of the Fluxion Trilogy that I’d finish strong with The Third Degree this year. By now, I already have all the art I commissioned from the extremely talented Robin Childs. The process I used for the last two years is well-defined and I’m confident the last part of this trilogy will not provide the challenges that last year’s 10th Anniversary Edition did. Plus, The Third Degree is the shortest of the three books in this trilogy, so recording the audiobook should be easier than in years past. Look for The Third Degree: 10th Anniversary Edition to be released at the beginning of June.
Be Fruitful…
This short story that was originally published in the Welcome to the Alpacalypse anthology will be getting its own release on Easter this year. While I wrote this story about the end of the world prior to the 2020 pandemic, the events it describes take place between Thanksgiving 2022 and Easter 2023. It only seems fitting to release it as a standalone eBook on Easter to commemorate the falsely predicted end of the world. Plus, I may even have a secret project releasing the same day based on the same idea of exponentially reproducing rabbits.
The Constellation Tournament
I received some critical feedback on this science fantasy trilogy in 2022 and will likely be using this criticism to polish up these books so I can start releasing them starting in 2024. If you’d like to provide some feedback prior to this April on the whole trilogy, please let me know as soon as possible by e-mailing me at info@benjamin-m-weilert.com.
The Princess of Midnight (Exiles Book #1)
While I originally was going to start this high fantasy trilogy last year, I didn’t feel that the worldbuilding was strong enough for me to write it during NaNoWriMo. I plan to dig into more of the worldbuilding for this trilogy this year so I can write The Princess of Midnight this November. Using the Save the Cat method, I already have a good idea of what the plot will look like, so this extra preparation will merely help me weave a convincing first draft when I finally get around to writing it. By putting in the work this year to establish the world in my head, the next two years should be easier when I draft The Magician of Mountains and The Fugitive of Forests.
Blogs
There’s a lot to learn about self-publishing books, and I hope to enlighten writers who are starting out with this year’s blog posts. Some of the topics I currently have planned have to do with handling criticism, the basics of creating your own cover, and using real places in your writing. Stay tuned!