I’ve marched out sixteen query letters. For fourteen of those, I’ve received either a rejection letter or I’ve waited a month without a reply. With only two outstanding query letters, and hope dwindling that getting WITCH published will be a relatively easy process, you might be wondering: what’s going to happen with Northern Arcadia?

I can’t quit, folks. I’m going to have the first draft for a second Northern Arcadia novel ready at the end of March, and I intend to publish the first fifteen or so pages of THIEF to this site. I’m going to continue to publish updates here every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, including posts on stuff I consider ‘fantastic America,’ behind the scenes detail on bringing this world to life and the odd post on the intersection of video games and the sort of character-driven narrative I favor.

IRL, I’m going to identify a couple, three writing conferences with a strong emphasis on imaginative fiction, and I’m going to attend with my smile up and my ears out. I want to get better at weaving stories where people can get cheerfully lost. Of course I’d like to be negotiating with a major publishing house right now. I’d love to have a high-powered agent with ties in the film and video game industries, and an editor with a merciless eye who isn’t afraid to tell me exactly what needs fixing.

But I’m not writing for fame, money, or other people’s approval. Not anymore. I’ve been guilty of all three in the past. These days, I write because I love writing. I write because when a passage or a page or a chapter works, I feel a sense of satisfaction that I get from nothing else.

A hundred rejection letters can’t take that away from me.