Angst books and audiobooks and holidays, oh my!

This is going to be a meandering blog post about the world of Angst. (Hey, world of Angst, I like that.) There is a lot coming together. Before I get distracted with family and holidays, I wanted to take advantage of this brief window to share how everything is progressing.

The rough draft of the fifth Angst book is done and in the hands of my amazing editor, Danielle Fine. While there could be more Angst stories in the distant future, this is both the final book in this series and the definitive end to all Angst stories. I believe this will wrap things up in a way that will give everyone a sense of completion without the Ferris Bueller ending, “You’re still here? It’s over. Go Home.”

As I was sending Angst 5 to my editor, I also received the completed cover by Alessandro Brunelli. I’ll be sharing the cover and title when the book is closer to publication, but needless to say, it’s beautiful. Brunelli is incredibly versatile. His cover for Drowning in Angst is completely different than Clod Makes A Friend. Both are unique and beautiful in their own ways. I love the cover for Angst 5 and I’m dying to share.

I finished previewing the Angst audiobook and I can’t brag enough on Michael Troughton’s performance. When I say performance, I mean it. I don’t want to give too much away, but I’ve been both surprised, and pleased. He’s done an incredible job with the voices and narration overall. It truly sounds like he had fun recording Angst. If you are an audiobook fan, and enjoy my writing, you won’t be disappointed. The audiobook has been approved, and is in the process of being reviewed by Audible. Fingers crossed that it lands before the end of the year.

Most of the perk items offered as a part of my indiegogo campaign have either arrived or are on their way to me. The last items to arrive will be a toss up between print copies of Angst 5 or hardcover copies of all books. I placed an order for proofs of the new hardcover versions on 11/29 and see no indication that they have printed or shipped. It’s going to be tight trying to get everything shipped to supporters in December, and I’ll be sure to keep everyone updated.

Outside the world of Angst, congratulations to Critical Blast Publishing on their first anthology, Gods and Services. “A mysterious shop appears from nowhere with an unusual inventory: lost or forgotten gods who perform services for a price.” It’s a great premise, and I had a blast writing a short story for them. You can pick up the paperback now: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1722090790

I’m experiencing a bit of nostalgia from finishing the Angst series. It was a big undertaking. I’m slowly getting a sense of freedom to write whatever I want. The next 10 books I’d like to write are in the cooker. (The cooker being my brain.) The cool thing is I’m already itching to write. Most ideas are at a slow simmer, but my next series is already coming to a boil. I’m ready for that next big thing.