We’re only a little past the mid-year mark, but already the beginning of 2019 seems so far in the past. A lot has happened—much of it behind the scenes—and there’s a lot to look forward to… hopefully before the end of this year. I thought it was high time for another peek behind the curtain at what’s been going on, and what’s in store.
The Dragon’s Last Flight: Demo Release & Progress
The biggest news this year (so far!) was obviously the release of The Dragon’s Last Flight demo back at the end of March. A last-minute idea turned into a NaNoRenO project, I’m still pretty proud of how much Odd Lazdo and I accomplished in just 30 days! The response so far has been pretty great—people seem to be enjoying it, and already there’s a playthrough of the demo on YouTube thanks to Talamann Games!
What was supposed to be a month-long project has, needless to say, stretched itself out to a much longer WIP, as we’ve decided to expand the demo into a full-length game. Just like our audience, we want to know how the story ends! Happily, as of a little over a month ago, we have a complete first draft of TDLF, very rough but very real. There’s still a lot to do—editing, coding, more art, music, et cetera—but I am still hopeful we’ll be able to release a full version by the end of 2019—or Q1 2020 at the latest.
The Harbinger’s Head: Anniversary & Future Developments?
This month, my first full-length published work, The Harbinger’s Head, turned one year old! As I’ve discussed before, I dove head-first into that project, learning ChoiceScript on the fly and figuring out how to even write a branching narrative as I wrote. It was a little crazy, but in the end, I’m so, so glad I went for it. Again, the overall response to the game has been very positive, and for a project that, deep down, I was somewhat convinced would disappear pretty quickly into the noise of the internet, I am so, so pleasantly surprised and grateful to still see new people downloading and enjoying my little Celtic tale
A number of people have asked now if there will be a sequel or some other kind of additional content. I’ve jokingly mentioned doing a short romantic parody for some future Valentine’s Day, and seriously considered a potential prequel project, but as of this moment, nothing is in development. But never say never. The more I circle back to the idea, the more tempting it becomes…
Other Works in Progress
I’ve mentioned before, although not, perhaps, too often, that in addition to working on TDLF, I have also been researching and writing another fantasy/horror novel, this time of the more traditional (read: print) variety. In short, I resurrected an old WIP and, after tearing the initial skeleton apart, have been reassembling it piece by piece to create something new, something a little strange, something (hopefully) pretty exciting. At least, I’m excited about it, and I always take that as a good sign.
I am currently knee-deep in the first draft (old drafts exist, but in pieces only—this will be the first complete rough draft) and desperately in love with the world and the characters. With a lot of work and a little luck, I’ll be able to create something that will do them justice. My plan—my hope—is to try and find a good agent to help me publish it the traditional way. Failing that, I may try and self-publish it. We’ll see how it goes.
I don’t want to talk about it too much just yet, but I’ll drop a few hints for now. There’s magic. There’s murder. And while there’s a definite Victorian-England-meets-17th-Century-Venice vibe to it, the setting is 100% fictional—and just a bit fantastical
Ideally, you’ll be able to explore it yourself sometime within the next 365 days or so (though that timeline is probably a teensy bit optimistic). Again, we’ll see how it goes…
I’ve also got a ton of other potential projects just begging to be set free from my Big Fat Spiral Notebook of Ideas and Unfinished Drafts. A half-formed, heartfelt memoir about my cardiological experiences sits beside an unwritten interactive fiction novel inspired by wild, powerful women of ancient lore. I’ve also got the beginnings of a detailed outline for another visual novel, this time featuring cats. And of course, there’s my draft from NaNoWriMo 2018, which is also rife with feline familiars and in need of a good grooming
Like I said, there’s a lot to look forward to. I’m not sure exactly what’s next yet—I’m too deep in the weeds of my current WIPs to decide—but whatever it is, it’ll be worth the wait. (I hope.)
For now, keep an eye out for more TDLF updates and more news about that novel-in-progress as it continues to—well, progress. Onward and upward, as they say.
