Today was a little light, by design. But I did get the back copy started for the Open Wounds Universe short story and novella that I was talking about. I've posted both of them below for to whet your appetite.

These are very likely to change a little before I finish up the rest of the process, but the gist of it is certainly there. And, I would only tweak things a little.

First though, I have a bit of the opening snippet for my next story. I'll find out what this means over the next couple of days.

Magician, def.: one who takes advantage of the opportunities, fortune, luck, etc. that are made available; alt., one who knows which way the wind blows.

San Angelo, a Short Story of Open Wounds

Way out west, where the wild wind blows, A young woman has been told it's time for her to go out and make her way in the world. When Megan finds Tony D'ags, a Righteous Man whose job is to protect and champion plain folk when they seek justice in the Empire, she doesn't know just what she's gotten herself into. Her mentor seems like such a simple man, and his crew a funny collection of misfits brought together from all corners of the world.

Their first night in San Angelo, Megan finds out that Tony, his crew, and now Megan herself, have greater responsibilities than political representation. They owe their lives to their hosts, and there are bandits out there ready to take them.

So tonight, eating food given to them in joy, playing with children and listening to the elders list their complaints to her mentor, Megan learns the first lesson of being a paladin.

What do you do, when the wolves on two legs come howling? What do you do when men who are more animal than not decide they're after the children you protect, and they'll do anything to get them? Where do you stand?

San Angelo is the first in a series of shorter works set in M.K. Dreysen's Open Wounds Universe. Here, Megan meets Tony D'ags and begins learning what the Empire means to people who don't have a position in it.

and Badlands, a Novella of Open Wounds

When Megan and Tony D'ags and crew came to San Angelo, they were surprised to find that the sheriff was an old acquaintance of Tony's. Not quite a friend, not quite an enemy, the whole situation was odd enough to keep Megan and the rest of the crew on their toes. Even Tony didn't really trust the sheriff and his cronies.

When they found out the sheriff was crooked, and that they'd set themselves up with a little black market operation on the side, nobody was surprised.

When they found out that the sheriff, the town, and now Tony and his crew were about to be dragged in to be sacrificed to something from the outer darkness, an evil being from beyond too hideous for human comprehension...

Badlands is a novella set in M.K. Dreysen's Open Wounds Universe, the second in a series of shorter works. Here, Megan and Tony continue as apprentice and mentor, and Megan discovers for the first time that there are things stalking the Empire, indeed humanity itself, from outside space and time.

oh, and in this week's entry for "John Carpenter and assorted other gurus of the twisted" sweepstakes, we have the hitherto unknown depths of the Mayan Ancient Temple Complexes.

I don't if the graduate students will necessarily be up on the jokes and spring to mind over this, but I know for damned sure that the professors involved in these projects are going to be walking around the halls, sneaking up behind each other, skulking, and generally making arch comments about the dangers of the unknown awaiting our intrepid explorers deep in the jungles of Central America... (cue soundtrack)

And it's done. Opening Bid part 7, posted below.

Not that she's done. But this story's found its end. I hope you enjoyed it.

'Cause lord knows I did. This was an absolute blast. Just telling the stories are fun, no matter how it turns out. But putting up a daily story, part of the larger, performing if you will, now that was an added part of the fun.

Now, I've learned a couple things. I'm thinking it'll be a bit before I repeat the experiment of daily serial, but I know that I'm not done doing it. Let's face it, this was sort of the digital equivalent of the story round a campfire.

I remember seeing a few different times over the years, especially in fan fiction circles, but plenty of others, where writers put up their story chapters, night after night, in similar fashion. If you've ever done it yourself, I raise a glass to you, this playing without a net is exhilarating and tough, but most of all fun.

As for my next project? Well, in the immediate, I have a short story and a novella, set in my Open Wounds series between the first book and the second book. I'm in the midst of the publication nuts and bolts, formatting, back matter, etc. So my daily blog work for the next little while will focus on getting those up.

As well, I've a fair few other finished stories in the queue, both long form and short form. Those again are my daily publishing steps, so I'll be busy for a while. The long form, I think I've got at least two (nope, missed one, it's actually three. I forgot about a sciFi...) novels coming up, those are pretty straightforward. The two shorter works for Open Wounds, but I've got a few short stories, mystery, fantasy, sciFi. Some of those I'll format for putting up with the novels myself, others I think I'll be sending in to the short fiction markets.

Don't know which ones, I'll probably make it up as I go along. That way, publication is as fun as I can make it, just as with the writing.

And there's the real fun. I have some writing goals for the year. Here, near term, I'm playing day to day, short stories. I want to dive into a few branches I've put myself out on, both in the worlds of the novels that'll be coming, as well as in some other worlds that are either short stories only so far, or worlds yet to come. We'll see what happens after that, as far as longer works.

Incidentally, if you're a game geek, especially tabletop RPGs, or if you're a fan of Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, or if you're just plain feeling your silly bug nibble away this evening:

I give to you the Jane Austen RPG Kickstarter!

This is gonna be an absolute hoot. I've got a lot of game books sitting on my shelves that I go to for fun reading. This one, I have a sneaking suspicion, is going to be in that same category of books to just take down and get lost in.

I'd heard about this a while back, but never quite believed they were actually going to get here. I think it was Moe Lane who mentioned it, and Moe also pointed out that Naomi Novik might have a few interesting things to bring to this sort of RPG. By kitbashing if necessary, by extensions if they can work it out with Ms. Novik as the best option. The RPG world has been as hit by the whirlwind of indie writing as any of the other writer niches, there are a lot of good game people out there.

I thought for a while that I was going to finish "Opening Bid"(with part 6 posted below) tonight. But
I realized that the ending, while apparent, isn't something I can just polish
off with a couple hundred words and done.

Sort of the way the story has gone from the beginning. It has its own pace
for me. Its own voice, and damned if they, Ernie and the lady yet unnamed
(don't be fooled by the name painted on the outside of her trailer. That's
just for the rubes in line. But then, I don't think you'd be surprised, at
this point, to know that she protects her name. Yes, even from me so far.)

Ernie has his moment coming. I know that, and so does he. I wonder still, at
this point, how he's going to come to it. What makes him, drives him, to the
point in his life that's beginning to come clear? Let's find out, you and me
together. Tomorrow night, I think.

Though fair warning. She's been tested before. They're gone, she's still
here. One way or another, I don't think we've heard the last from her.

Heh. I was about halfway through reading the comments to this post on Bagheera the panther before I realized what it was that my mind was trying to remind me of. Blues Traveler, specifically their song Bagheera! (youTube version of the song). It's absolutely my favorite take on Bagheera's point of view, outside of the stories.

I posted the fifth part of "Opening Bid" below for your reading pleasure.

Now I've got to run balance the checkbook. I know, not much of an evening, but
I got my words in on the story; everything else is gravy.