Hello, all! Welcome back to another Taleweaver's Desk update, in which I provide a broad view of what projects I'm working on (and not working on) and what might be coming soon. At this point, I don't think these posts need a lot of introduction, so let's jump right in with what's on the desktop.

On the Taleweaver's Desk Issue 13: August 2024

On the Desktop

These are the projects you might find open on my laptop or desk if you took a peek at it during a normal day. They're currently in progress and at the top of the priority chart.

Illusion's Reign (Daughters of Atirse #2)

What is it? A Goose Girl/Puss in Boots retelling, the second book in the Daughters of Atirse series, and the prequel to Song of the Selkies.

Status: Two rounds of edits done; starting on the third round of edits and formatting.

In case you missed it, Illusion's Reign (formerly known as Onora's story or Daughters of Atirse #2) now has a title, a cover, and a preorder link (and also a Goodreads listing)! It will release September 27 as part of the Arista Challenge Lost Kerchiefs group release. Information on how to sign up to be part of the blog/social tour or request an ARC is coming soon, so keep an eye out for that! In the meantime, I'm hard at work getting the book ready. I got some really good feedback from beta readers, which resulted in a lot of the climax lead-up getting heavily edited or rewritten — I think for the better. The next round of edits will focus more on word- and sentence-level adjustments, followed by formatting and proofing. Timeline-wise, I'm in a pretty good place with this book, so as long as I don't get cocky, this release should be a lot less stressful than the one for Song of the Selkies (in which I was working up to the very last possible minute).

D&D Campaign: Defenders of Serys

What is it? Defenders of Serys is the homebrew D&D campaign that I run for my D&D group.

Status: Finally making progress on that one adventure I've been procrastinating on!

I continue to regret deciding to try an overly complicated plotline like the one I'm attempting next, simply because it's a pain to prep . . . but I hope it'll be worth it once we're actually playing it. At the moment, most of my D&D writing/prep time is going towards making NPCs, as there are a lot more than usual who need actual stat blocks or sheets at the outset of the story. That said, this is still getting the short end of the stick when it comes to dividing up my writing time — it's very much a spare time project. Thankfully, we progress slowly enough through adventures that this hasn't been much of an issue . . . not yet, anyway.

Stacked on the Side

These are the stories that I'm not actively working on (at least not officially), but I'm keeping close at hand because I plan to get back to them soon (or I just work on them sporadically as the urge takes me).

Once Upon a Dream

What is it? A light steampunk (or gaslamp fantasy?) Sleeping Beauty retelling; the predecessor to The Midnight Show

Status: Edited several times over. Awaiting another round of rewrites/expansion/edits (and a useful excuse/motivation for prioritizing those edits).

Secret Star Book

What is it? A secret. An experiment. The product of my having read/watched/otherwise enjoyed a lot of media in a couple specific genres (outside my usual one) in the last half of 2023 and first half of 2024.

Status: I am dabbling in this as a sort of just-for-fun project as I have the time and desire to do so. Right now, that mostly looks like worldbuilding and fleshing out characters.

Shelved for Now

These are stories that are also on hold, but which I don't have specific plans to work on very soon. They're still within easy reach should I decide to return to them, but they aren't a top priority.

Blood in the Earth

What is it? Blood in the Earth is the sequel to Blood in the Snow and a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses crossed with the myth of Hades and Persephone.

Status: First draft finished; awaiting rewrites. I still love this story, but I don't know when I'll get back to it. Currently, that happening in the next twelve months is looking somewhat dubious.

Between Two Worlds

What is it? A portal fantasy adventure about what happens when you come home from the adventure, only to discover that the adventure isn't quite as done with you as you thought.

Status: Awaiting another round of edits/rewrites while I write other things and daydream about its sequels. May get bumped further up the priority list depending on certain other factors, but probably not for a while yet.

The Way of the Pen

What is it? Self-aware fantasy adventure about a girl and her author.

Status: The first draft is sitting on my shelf, patiently waiting for its turn back in the spotlight, as it has been for some time. Of everything in this section, this is one of the most likely books to move up to Stacked on the Side or On the Desktop, as I occasionally have wild thoughts of editing it and shopping it 'round to traditional publishers. However, that actually happening in the next couple years is improbable, due to Atirse and Bastian Dennel taking priority.

Berstru Tales series

What is it? The longest-running series I've worked on (either in the number of books written or in how long I've worked on it. Originally was a classic epic fantasy, but is getting a genre change.

Status: Needs to be rewritten from the ground up, but the bones are good. I've decided that I'm going to try changing it to a different subgenre, and I'm excited to work on that, but I don't think it'll happen in the next six months.

Awaiting Delivery

These are the stories that are on their way, but haven't quite arrived yet to the point where I can write them: ideas I'm toying with but haven't even started to draft because they're still too nebulous.

Additional Bastian Dennel, PI novels

What is it? Exactly what the heading said. Book 4 will be Jack and the Beanstalk (yes, I'm serious); other stories planned include The Little Mermaid, The Goose Girl, The Nutcracker, Rumplestiltskin, and Pwyll & Rhiannon.

Status: Bastian Dennel Book 4 is next up on my priority list to write, and I hope it'll come together quickly. My tentative plan is to start it somewhere in the area of mid-October or early November, though if everything with Illusion's Reign goes really well, that timeline might be moved up by a week or two. After that, I'm looking at The Nutcracker as Book 5, followed by The Little Mermaid, The Goose Girl, Rumplestiltskin, and Pwyll & Rhiannon, roughly in that order . . . though I might end up switching the last two. It's hard to say, but they're far enough away that I can probably figure it out when I get closer.

Future Daughters of Atirse books

What is it? What the headline said, again. Multiple other stories connected with Song of the Selkies. Specifically, I have plans for some variation on Beauty and the Beast (sequel), Tam Lin (prequel), and Pwyll & Rhiannon (sequel), as well as a prequel (about Prince Diarmad) and at least one other sequel (about Uaine) that don't have specific fairy tales but will be written because I want to tell their main characters' stories.

Status: The Beauty and the Beast sequel, which will focus on Mirren, will probably be the next of these books that I write, and I plan to tackle it after I write BDPI #4. Aside from that, I continue to bounce ideas around with my friend, both to expand existing ideas and create new ones.

Unnamed Fantasy Murder Mystery

What is it? Exactly what the headline says. A prominent noble is murdered; his adoptive daughter is poised to inherit his lands and position — but some are saying her hand was behind his death.

Status: Still just an idea, but it's an idea with a really good soundtrack. May end up being set in the same world as Daughters of Atirse, though not in the same series and later in the world's timeline.

DOSA Files #2 Story

What is it? A story for the second DOSA Files anthology, set in the world of H.L. Burke's SVR books.

Status: I know I want to write something for the second anthology; I just haven't figured out what yet. A few people have told me that they'd like something else featuring the Save {Point} characters, though, so right now my thoughts mostly lean towards trying to figure out a new Situation to stick Steelblood, Quantum, and Ava into. (Or it might just be Steelblood and Quantum, if I do a prequel . . . we'll see what happens.)

What projects (writing or otherwise) are you working on currently, and how are they going for you? Tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!