01 Apr Happy April Fool’s Day
Dear Readers,
I’ve been asked to provide an update, if for no other reason than to let you know I’m still alive. I am. Yeay! I’m also still writing. Double yeay! (No, that’s not an April Fool’s prank.)
While I am now writing full-time, I am currently working on several projects, not just KDT. I know, I know. You’re all screaming, “Just give us the third book!” Here’s some of what’s happening.
A number of years ago, I started working on a Ph.D. in geosciences. I spent countless hours in coursework, research, and laboratories. Summer and winter breaks were not spent lounging on the beach or binge watching Game of Thrones (which I still haven’t had the chance to watch/read, so no spoilers!). No, I was in the field far, far away from civilization, almost completely cut off from society for weeks at a time. Yes, there are still places on this planet without internet or cell phone coverage!😲
I endured the physical and emotional rigors of traveling both domestically and internationally, not only to perform said research, but also to stand beside posters and at podiums presenting to rooms full of scientists with far more experience. These were exciting times but also stressful, and I had to swallow the pain of spending much of it away from my child. All of my degree requirements were completed except for the dissertation. Five years and a combined $100K in student debt later, I ran out of funding and was left without a job. Sorry, no Ph.D. for you!
Did I mention I’m a single parent? Financial woes. Two years worth of job searches yielded only a bit of part-time teaching at college. A masters degree in geosciences means little when the market is saturated with job seekers laid off by a struggling oil industry.
I could not sit idly, though. I began writing to fill the time and perhaps to escape for a while from my unproductive despair. I was nearly finished with the first installment of a story when someone started nagging me for attention. He was relentless. He was fantastic, brutal, brilliant, and utterly clueless. The others were silly and made me laugh. I had to write them down before they disappeared forever. Far from the path of my derailed dreams emerged King’s Dark Tidings.
While I am still working diligently on KDT, thanks to your support and appreciation of this series, I can afford to finish my doctoral program before time runs out and all my hard work (and money!) is wasted. Some of you may be frustrated that I cannot focus on KDT 100% of the time. You’ll have to trust me when I say it’s better this way. I am far more productive when I reach a balance between my analytical/logical mind and my creative one. I am capable of working on multiple projects at once.
I may be providing you with an entertaining story, but your readership is helping me to achieve my dreams.
Sincerely,
Kel
micheal spears
Posted at 04:22h, 09 Septembersorry forgot to click box at bottom for a replay on my asking about if orwhen u well be put ya books to hard back or papaer back bet ya would get a lot of positive replys to u putting them on hard back ya then can pass them down and give them to ya friends just a thought
micheal spears
Posted at 04:17h, 09 Septemberwhen well u be puting ya books in hard back i love real books
FireFux
Posted at 23:56h, 17 MaySo you’re still writing though? Please achieve your goals of PhD but also don’t Patrick Rothfuss us!! Is there a tentative ETA? Keep up the hard work man.
Emaleigh
Posted at 09:53h, 14 MayI really enjoyed this update. It’s always cool to hear how a book/series (like KDT) was born out of a more difficult time in an author’s life. However, it’s even cooler to hear how creative writing has not only become a new passion in your life, but one that is helping you to achieve your old dreams as well! Chase after both – keep writing, and get that PhD! Continue to find the healthy balance between them, as well as with being a single parent. Best of luck!
(Also, I am extremely eager for book 3. But I can wait. Although I really want it. Still, take your time. Ahh, the tension between my mind and my heart…)