Friends,

It is a brand new start to a brand new week. I truly hope there is much good in store for you today! There is much going on in the Eli Kale community this week, part of it due to a change in things regarding my current works in progress. 

Faces of the War: Unguarded

Much progress was made this past week on my upcoming book, Unguarded, which is the second in a collection of historical fiction stories set during the Second World War. Up to this point, The writing completed on Friday put me a little past the halfway mark of the number of words which I would like this book to have – 49K. After completing the remaining 3K or so words left in Part II today, I will be well on my way to writing Part III and the Epilogue, edging closer and closer to my goal word count.

I have recharged my writing and creative batteries, and I must say that the past few work days have been a blast! I am really enjoying getting into the character, much like I did with the main character in my first book. I’ve mentioned before that some aspects of the first book carry over into the second book, while the stories themselves will be completely different and unrelated. 

I have also picked up a second editor for Book Two, mostly because my primary editor has taken on more work in her schedule. So to still bring you a quality story, I am working with two editors this time around. I am truly looking forward to this new part of the experience.

As for the overall time frame, I am actually ahead of schedule a bit. The tentative release date is still sometime shortly after New Year’s. I will have more on that in the coming months.

The Short Story Collection: Volume I

If you haven’t read it or heard me say it before, I am aiming to release short stories through Amazon KDP periodically throughout the coming months and years in the form of three-story volumes. The first volume will release sometime this week, barring any unforeseen setbacks. 

This is what I alluded to in the beginning of the post. I had asked a friend if they’d like to edit the short stories for me, and they said they would. However, with their internship on the West Coast getting underway, which makes the person very busy, they were unable to get around to the editing. With the understanding from the get-go that they were to put their work and priorities first, I decided to edit the stories myself. 

After considering it all, I concluded that this is actually a good thing because it makes the stories more personal. You as a reader can be a little bit closer to me as a writer, because what you’re reading is truly mine. I really enjoyed writing these first three stories, and I hope you will enjoy reading them. 

This being my first time using Amazon KDP, I can’t state an exact time and date for when the book will release. I’ll have to get the hang of it first. I can say that it should be live by the end of the week (my goal, at least). It will be either $0.99 or $1.99, depending on the file size and such. 

The reason I am doing these short stories is to vary up the writing that I do on my larger projects, like the books in the “Faces of the War” collection. Not only does it provide me with a break from the time period, style, settings, etc. of my other projects, but it gives you something new and fresh to read as well. So if you’re a fan of short stories, I encourage you to check it out after its release!

Mailing List

A few more people have added themselves to my mailing list, but there is always room for more! I use email newsletters to directly reach those in the Eli Kale community who wish to receive early details and updates about me and my work. I also would like to encourage you to join the mailing list because it will allow you to step inside my world as I journey through my writing. There are also things in the e-newsletters (which I send out bi-weekly) that don’t show up in the regular blog here: fun facts, Q&A sessions, special giveaways, and much more. It also affords you the opportunity to interact with me, which is important to me because I like to be a presence in the community of my readership, not an absent author whose social media posts are the only semblance of life that you see of him. And the best part is that I don’t write long newsletters, so you can read them over your morning coffee or in the evening as you settle into bed.

I would love to have you join me as I create these stories of which I am very passionate. All you have to do is go to the link in the previous paragraph, then input your name, email, and a comment saying that you’d like to be placed on the list, and that’s it! 

So to end today’s information-filled post, here is one of my favorite cartoons by the artist Gary Larson. Have a wonderful day!

Until next time,

-Eli