Happy April Fool’s Day

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