Merry Christmas!

Goodwill and all that jazz

Well, it’s Christmas Eve here in South Australia. That means putting out a few things for Santa and the reindeer. The tree is up, decorations are decorating or something. Presents are awaiting happy smiles. I am very lucky to be where I am with the family I have. I hope you too are happy, even if we’re all a bit exhausted. If it’s been a tough year, you have my sympathies. I’ve been very lucky, but I’m still monumentally exhausted.

We’re all ready for Santa! A quick refresher is critical for navigating the world in 24 hours.

Farewell 2021

I’m in the mood to think about the good things. This year I was lucky enough to don my armour and battle for the amusement of the crowd at the Gumeracha Medieval Fair. At another event, with my back being very unhappy, I was able to shout, cajole, and judge my fellow medieval maniacs. In my sword club’s annual longsword competition, I made third place, which isn’t bad for an old codger like me.

A big thank you to everyone who has supported myself and my books. Your purchases, your reviews, your championing of my books made all the difference. I know there will be many people unwrapping one or more of my books tomorrow, and that makes all the hard work worthwile.

Release-wise, I was very excited by the release of Brainz. It has been exceptionaly well received, and I’m sure it will continue to find new readers (and hopefully more reviews). My short story, Contours of War, was published in On Deadly Ground, a Bayonet Books anthology. It was nice to get back into the scifi hot seat, and it certainly will influence my work on an upcoming project.

My fantasy work progresses well, albeit not as instantly as I would like. I’m fleshing out sections, finalising details, and inserting the necessary foreshadowing. This is a beast of a project, so it’s going to take a little time before I can share more. Suffice it to say, the current manuscript is 155, 000 words long, and the finished possible trilogy may be somewhere between 360k to 450k words. That’s a little scary.

Susie Steele #2 is so close to release, I can taste it. I’m double checking the interior formatting now the editing is complete. The artist is booked and the cover and chapter title art is bound to be fantastic. I’m currently organising the ARC team to support the launch.

Hello 2022

I have my plans set for next year, including three releases, and two potential stretch projects. Though to be fair, getting out three books in one year is a big ask to begin with. But that’s my focus: output. It’ll be the yardstick I’ll be judging myself by, and I’ll need you folk to have my back with your encouragement.

Well, I better get going. I think Santa wants a hand to fill some stockings.

Best wishes,

— R Max Tillsley